A Summerfield woman who admitted to being off her medication was arrested after she allegedly battered a woman during a nasty domestic spat on Monday.
Sarah Elizabeth Shirley, 23, was charged with domestic battery (second or subsequent offense) after the incident. Jail records show it was Shirley’s fourth arrest for battery since 2016. She was previously convicted of domestic battery in March 2017.
Shirley, who reported the incident, told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy that she is off her medication, and she doesn’t act appropriately and isn’t herself when she’s off it. She said she and the victim were arguing when the victim threw a Buddha statue at her, but she was able dodge it, according to the sheriff’s office report.
Shirley said she called law enforcement because she can’t handle the victim when she drinks alcohol because they always argue. Earlier, she told another deputy that the victim threw the statue and it hit her on the back of her head. There were also statements about glass plates being thrown inside the house, but the deputies did not see any shattered plates, the report said.
The victim said she and Shirley were arguing over Shirley not doing what the victim asks her to do. The victim said Shirley is on medication for mental health issues and she throws fits whenever she is off her meds. She said she didn’t know what the argument started over but it was something minor, according to the report.
The victim said at first that Shirley hit her with a closed fist all over her body, but when she was asked questions, she said she didn’t want to talk to the deputy anymore. The deputy observed a bruise underneath the victim’s right eye and minor scrapes on her lower legs, the report said.
An eyewitness said Shirley and the victim were arguing with each other and he could hear it from the other room. He said when he heard them yelling louder, he walked into the room and saw Shirley on top of the victim, hitting her repeatedly with closed fists. The witness said Shirley and the victim eventually separated from each other, according to the report.
Shirley was deemed to be the primary aggressor and placed under arrest. She was taken to the Marion County Jail, where she was released Wednesday on $100 bond. Shirley will appear in Marion County Court on May 26.