A husband has been ordered to get an alcohol evaluation after a brawl with his wife earlier this year at their home in The Villages.
James Edwin Barr, 62, of the Village of Pennecamp, last month in Sumter County Court was allowed to enter into a pre-trial intervention contract that could allow his to escape prosecution on a charge of battery. He must complete a batterer’s intervention class, seek an alcohol evaluation and follow any recommended treatment as well as have only “peaceful” contact with his wife.
The Decatur, Ill. native was arrested July 6 arrest at the $1.2 million home on Lake Ridge Drive he purchased with his wife in 2021.
When Sumter County sheriff’s deputies arrived at the couple’s home that night, Barr’s wife told deputies Barr had been drinking and “got upset” over “a homosexual comment” on a show she was watching on television, according to an arrest report.
“I’m not having that in my house,” he said.
As the wife attempted to get up from her recliner, the 280-pounder pushed her back into the chair and held her down. She suffered torn skin on her forearm. The couple has been married since 1984.
