An argument over the destruction of a video game console led to the arrest of a 37-year-old Ocala man after he was accused of choking his girlfriend.
A Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a local residence on Tuesday, September 10, in reference to a domestic altercation. Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with the female victim who advised that her live-in boyfriend, Dimas Theodore Rodriguez, had “attacked her” in their bedroom, according to the arrest report.
The victim stated that she had gotten into an argument with Rodriguez after he began “throwing her clothes out of the (bedroom) and into the living room.” During the verbal altercation, the victim claimed that she was sitting on the bed when Rodriguez “got on top of her” and “began to choke her with his two hands.”
According to the victim’s statement, she had difficulty breathing during the incident, and she fought to “get (Rodriguez) off her.” In the report, the deputy noted that the victim had red marks around her neck and around the top of her chest.
The deputy next made contact with Rodriguez. After being read his Miranda rights, Rodriguez advised that the argument was over the victim “trying to break (his) TV and Playstation gaming system,” according to the report.
Rodriguez further denied choking the victim, though the report stated that he admitted to pushing the victim to “keep (her) away from him.”
Following the post-Miranda interview, Rodriguez was placed under arrest and transported to Marion County Jail, where he is currently being held without bond. He is being charged with domestic battery by strangulation.
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.