A 33-year-old Belleview who allegedly bloodied his father during a physical altercation in their home has claimed he did so out of self-defense.
On Thursday, September 18, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy was dispatched to a local residence after receiving reports of a “physical family disturbance.” Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with the male victim who advised that his son, James T. Kirk Vidican, had attacked him, according to the arrest report.
The victim stated that prior to the incident, he was speaking with his son, Vidican, regarding his son’s “online fantasy wife.” During that conversation, Vidican mentioned that he was going to leave the back door open, and the victim responded by stating that the air conditioner was going to be turned off if the door was not closed.
The report stated that Vidican proceeded to open the back door, and the victim shut off the air conditioning. In response, Vidican allegedly approached the victim and used his left arm to place the victim in a chokehold.
According to the victim’s statement, Vidican’s weight caused the victim to fall to the ground, and the chokehold was briefly released. Moments later, Vidican allegedly used both of his arms to place the victim in a second chokehold, and the victim claimed that he was unable to breathe.
A struggle ensued, and the victim’s smartphone fell onto the ground. When the victim rolled over and got out of the chokehold, Vidican allegedly punched the victim multiple times in the nose and on the side of the head, which prompted the victim to “curl into a ball” to protect himself from the strikes, according to the report.
The altercation came to an end when Vidican stood up, grabbed the victim’s smartphone, and ran outside of the residence. The victim told the deputy that he stood up and ran to a neighbor’s home, where he contacted law enforcement.
The deputy noted in the report that blood was visible near the victim’s nose and on his right cheek. A red mark and small bump were also visible on the left side of the victim’s head, along with a “streak of fresh blood” under his right arm and “smeared fresh blood” on his right hand.
After speaking with the victim, the deputy made contact with Vidican. After being read his Miranda rights, Vidican claimed that he had acted in self-defense, according to the report.
Inside the residence, the deputy observed “blood spots” on the floor, which were determined to be from the victim’s bleeding nose.
A criminal history search of Vidican revealed that he was previously convicted of battery in Marion County in August of 2023.
Vidican was placed under arrest and booked into Marion County Jail, where he is currently being held without bond. He is being charged with domestic battery by strangulation, battery (second or subsequent offense), and second-degree petit theft (first offense).
Jail records show that Vidican is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, October 21.