A 30-year-old Belleview man with two prior battery convictions is behind bars after he was accused of grabbing a woman by her throat and slamming her head into a wall.
On Thursday, at around 1:20 a.m., two Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a local residence in reference to a domestic battery incident. Upon arrival, they made contact with the victim who was “in obvious distress and frightened,” according to the arrest report.
The victim told the deputies that a man, identified as Nigel Kashad Barker, had slapped and choked her.
According to the victim, Barker was “very aggressive” when he arrived at the incident location, and he was “demanding money.” When the victim confronted Barker, she stated that he slapped her, and the blow busted open her lip, according to the report.
The victim advised that she attempted to leave, and Barker allegedly followed her, grabbed her by the throat with both hands, and “aggressively pushed” her head into the wall. The deputies observed a hole in the wall that had a “very noticeable blood spot” on it, and the report stated that this was consistent with the victim’s statement.
The deputies also noted in the report that the victim had bruising on the front and sides of her neck. She told the deputies that she had difficulty breathing during the incident.
The report stated that a child was inside the home at the time of the incident. During an interview with one of the deputies, the child stated that they were asleep at the time and did not see anything physical occur between Barker and the victim. The child then recalled waking up and seeing Barker “aggressively approach” the victim while yelling.
Barker had left the incident location prior to the arrival of law enforcement. At around 3:50 a.m., a deputy spotted his vehicle near the intersection of S Pine Avenue and SE 73rd Street in Ocala, and a traffic stop was conducted. The deputy made contact with Barker and detained him in handcuffs, according to the report.
After being read his Miranda rights, Barker stated that the victim was “aggressive and intoxicated” when he arrived at the residence. The report stated that Barker initially claimed that the victim had struck him before claiming that “nothing was physical.”
During the post-Miranda interview, Barker proceeded to tell investigators that the victim had “struck herself in the mouth,” and the hole in the wall was from the victim “throwing keys.” He then claimed that the hole in the wall was from him “moving the washing machine around,” and he further claimed that the blood on the wall was from the victim “spitting,” according to the report.
A computer search of Barker revealed that he has prior convictions for battery in 2016 and battery by strangulation in 2021. Both cases were in Marion County.
Barker was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held without bond. He is facing a felony charge for domestic battery by strangulation.
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.