An Ocklawaha man was arrested after allegedly strangling his son for removing a pipe from their sink during their ongoing civil issues.
A deputy responded to a physical altercation between 49-year-old Joseph Clayton Bernard Smith and his son at an undisclosed Marion County residence on Saturday, according to an arrest report from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. He met with Smith who stated he and his son had been going through civil issues lately. His son had not been contributing to the home, and Smith wanted his son evicted or removed from the residence.
On that day, Smith’s son removed PVC pipes from under the sink that were attached to the plumbing. Smith stated he did this because his son bought them. After being made aware of this, Smith walked to his son’s room to confront him about it, the report said.
While Smith stood at the entrance to the room, his son grabbed his throat with one hand hard enough to impede his breathing. Smith took his right forearm and put it across his son’s chest to push him onto his back on his bed so that he would let go. He was able to separate himself until law enforcement got there, the report said.
The deputy looked at Smith’s neck and saw red marks on the front of his throat. The marks were consistent with scratches with redness all around them. But they did not look the same as being grabbed around the neck, the report said.
The deputy next spoke with the son who was visibly upset. He confirmed that he and Smith were having civil issues, and he removed the pipes from the sink. After Smith became aware of this, he angrily tore the door from under the sink off its hinges and walked toward his room to confront him, the report said.
Smith came into the room, grabbed his son by the throat with both hands and pushed him onto his bed. He tried to push Smith off, during which he made contact with Smith’s neck. Smith then said he was twice his son’s size, pushed himself off and separated, the report said.
The son also stated that while Smith was on top of him, he pushed with his elbow while grabbing his throat. His breathing felt impeded at the time, the report said.
The deputy looked at the cabinet door and saw it had been torn off its hinges. He also observed the son’s neck and noticed multiple red marks from the front of his throat to the sides of his neck under his ears, consistent with being grabbed by two hands. There was redness on his upper chest, as well, the report said.
The deputy also talked to the son’s girlfriend who lived with both parties. She looked upset and stated she had a minor panic attack earlier due to the incident, the report said.
After Smith found out his son removed the drainpipe from the sink, he went to his room and looked very angry. He grabbed his son by the neck and pushed him onto the bed. When his son began to push back, they separated, the report said.
Prior to the incident, she had a good relationship with Smith. The doors to the victim’s room were normally kept open, and it was normal for Smith to come into the room because he was regularly allowed, the report said.
Smith was arrested on charge of battery by strangulation (domestic). He was transported to Marion County Jail and released after posting $5,000 bond.