A Wildwood man turned himself in for allegedly battering a guest talking to his girlfriend at a New Year’s Eve party.
A male victim and his friends went to a New Year’s Eve party with 20-year-old Joseph Edward Jaimes in attendance at a residence on Legion Avenue at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department. About an hour past midnight, the victim and a group of people were gathered outside having a conversation.
Shortly after, one of his friends, identified as “Dakota,” invited him into her vehicle because it was cold outside. The victim mentioned another female named “Kailey,” allegedly Jaimes’s girlfriend, was also in the car. The three were talking when Kailey got out and walked to the victim’s black BMW, the report said.
She then sat down in the driver’s seat of his vehicle while his friend remained in the passenger seat, the report said. She drove off and continued around the block. Jaimes subsequently walked up to the victim’s front passenger window, asking, “Yo, isn’t that your car?”
When the victim confirmed it was, Jaimes punched him in the face and dragged him out of the vehicle to the ground. He repeatedly struck and kicked the victim in the face and around his head. The victim was in a fetal position during the attack, but was able to dodge a punch and run away, the report said.
Jaimes chased him but eventually stopped and turned around. At that point, he picked up the victim’s phone from the ground to repeatedly and forcefully throw it back down. This left visible damage to the phone worth about $1,100, the report said.
While the victim continued running down the road, he flagged down Kailey and his friend. He explained what happened, and they all left the scene to go home. His parents saw his injuries once he arrived and took him to a local hospital in Nassau County for further evaluation and treatment. The victim advised that he sustained a severe laceration to his lower lip and was treated with sutures by medical personnel, the report said.
A witness later told law enforcement that although he did not see the physical altercation, he saw Jaimes repeatedly smash the victim’s phone as he was returning to pick him up. He added that he had recently been intimate with Jaimes’s girlfriend, and Jaimes may have mistaken the victim for him due to this relationship, the report said.
Jaimes ultimately turned himself in at Bob’s Bailbonds, located at 4384 U.S. Hwy. 301, Bushnell, on Thursday evening. He was arrested on charges of criminal mischief ($1,000 or more) and battery, after which he was transported to the Sumter County Detention Center. He was released after posting $3,500 bond.
Jaimes has been arrested several times in the past, including in Feb. 2024 for violating bond conditions, in Jan. 2024 for skipping court dates, in Dec. 2023 with beer and marijuana, and in Oct. 2023 for a large quantity of marijuana.