A 42-year-old Summerfield man accused of punching a juvenile said he resisted arrest because his PTSD kicked in and was belligerent in the patrol car because he was claustrophobic.
The victim’s mother told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy that she and Shawn Bayer were in an argument on Thursday when her juvenile son came to see what was going on. She said Bayer started threatening to become physical with the victim. The victim’s mother said the victim got between her and Bayer in an attempt to diffuse the situation and Bayer struck him in the left cheek with a closed fist, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim told the deputy he heard his mother arguing with Bayer and came into the living room to see what was going on. He said he got between his mother and Bayer when Bayer struck him in the face with a closed fist. The deputy observed the victim’s left cheek was red and slightly swollen, the report said.
Bayer’s girlfriend said she didn’t observe the incident because she was in their bedroom, but she heard him arguing with the victim’s mother. She said she heard Bayer threaten the victim but did not see or hear any physical contact between them, according to the report.
After being read his Miranda warning, Bayer told the deputy he was in a verbal argument with the victim’s mother. He said the victim was playing video games and was never involved in the incident. Asked if he made any physical contact or threats to do harm to the victim, Bayer said he would never do that, the report said.
The deputy told Bayer he was going to jail and as he tried to place him in handcuffs, Bayer started to actively resist by trying to pull his arms away and push off. Two deputies took Bayer to the ground, where he continued to resist. Once in the patrol vehicle, he banged his head and screamed at the deputies. While on the way to the Marion County Jail, Bayer broke the third brake light of the patrol vehicle, causing $50 in damage, according to the report.
In an interview with another deputy at the jail, Bayer said he was only in a verbal argument with the victim’s mother and he never had any verbal or physical contact with the victim. He said he resisted arrest because his PTSD kicked in and he was belligerent in the vehicle because he was claustrophobic, the report said.
Bayer was charged with child abuse without great bodily harm, resisting an officer without violence and criminal mischief with damage of less than $200 dollars. He’s being held on $6,000 bond and will appear in Marion County Court on Nov. 24.
