A Summerfield man was arrested after allegedly strangling his girlfriend with a shirt, sending her to the ER for her injuries.
Deputies responded to AdventHealth, located at 6006 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview, regarding a domestic battery around 9 p.m. Thursday, according to an arrest report from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Upon their arrival, the female victim advised that her live-in boyfriend, 31-year-old Steven Dale Hayes, battered her.
The victim explained they were going to peacefully break up soon. While she was sleeping at their undisclosed Marion County residence, Hayes came home from drinking and demanded she get out of their bedroom. As she did so, he grabbed her phone out of her hand, the report said.
The victim and Hayes wrestled for the phone, and he pushed her to the ground. He then took a shirt and put it around her neck, causing her to lose the ability to breathe but not her consciousness. During the struggle, he slammed her head on the floor before he pushed her out to the garage. She hit the boat in the process, the report said.
Hayes thought the victim took his phone and made it difficult for her to flee from the residence. She had a headache, a small bump on her head and an internally sore throat. A deputy touched her head and felt a small bump, the report said.
Indeed, the deputy spoke to a doctor at the ER who advised that he noticed bumps on the victim’s head and left elbow, the report said.
The deputies proceeded to speak with Hayes at the residence. After being read his rights, he stated there was only a verbal argument that happened that day. The victim had been drinking at the beach all day. He never put his hands on her, the report said.
Hayes was ultimately arrested for two counts of battery (domestic) and battery by strangulation (domestic). He was transported to Marion County Jail to be held without bond.