A 25-year-old man was arrested at an Ocala truck stop after his fiancée accused him of punching her in the face and choking her in the parking lot.
On Sunday, June 7, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office corporal responded to the Love’s Travel Stop located at 7791 NW 47th Avenue in reference to a domestic battery incident, according to the arrest report.
The deputy spoke with the female victim, who stated that she and her fiancé, identified as Gainesville resident Elijah Xavias Jenkins, had been arguing inside their vehicle over him being “selfish.” The victim told the deputy that the argument escalated when Jenkins began calling her vulgar names.
According to the victim’s statement, she “put her finger near (Jenkins’) face and told him to stop,” and he reportedly snatched her cellphone. When the victim attempted to retrieve the device, Jenkins allegedly yelled at her, slapped the left side of her face with an open hand, and punched her with a closed fist.
Jenkins then exited the vehicle and began gathering his belongings from the back. The victim alleged that Jenkins proceeded to grab her by the neck with both hands and squeezed, restricting her airflow while threatening to kill her. He then allegedly grabbed both sides of her face, headbutted her, and struck her head with a closed fist before walking away.
The report stated that a laceration was visible on the victim’s lower lip, which was “bleeding slightly.”
A witness reportedly corroborated the victim’s account of the altercation that occurred outside the vehicle. According to the witness, Jenkins struck the victim near the rear of the vehicle and placed his hands around her throat during the incident.
Jenkins was located a short distance away from the truck stop, and law enforcement brought him back to the scene. After being advised of his Miranda rights, Jenkins claimed the victim had grabbed the back of his neck to “establish dominance” and later bit his hand, prompting him to push her away, according to the report.
The corporal noted that there were no visible marks on Jenkins’ hand or neck to corroborate his claims.
During the post-Miranda interview, Jenkins reportedly denied headbutting, slapping, punching, or strangling the victim.
Jenkins was placed under arrest and transported to Marion County Jail. A criminal history search revealed that Jenkins was on active felony probation out of Alachua County for grand theft and providing false information to a pawnbroker.
Jail records show that Jenkins remains in custody without bond. He is facing charges of domestic battery by strangulation, simple domestic battery, and two counts of violating probation.
Jenkins is scheduled to appear in a Marion County courtroom at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7.