A Villager used a jailhouse phone to contact a woman he allegedly attacked during a messy battle at their home.
Jeffrey Gerard Argenio, 70, who lives in the Pilar Villas in the Village of Bonita, was arrested Friday on a charge of domestic battery on a person over the age of 65. When deputies went to the home, the woman said she “did not want to press any charges” and was “very reluctant” to admit anything had happened, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
She eventually told deputies that Argenio had “placed a towel around her neck and tightened it to where she could not breathe for about two seconds.” She said her neck was still sore.
When a deputy examined the home, there was a smashed flat screen TV on the floor, a side table was upside down and there were many broken items strewn about on the floor. In addition, there was “a blood swipe from someone’s hand” on a door leading to the woman’s bedroom.
Argenio was taken into custody and booked at the Sumter County Detention Center.
During a followup visit at the home the next day, the woman’s phone began ringing. She told the deputy the call was coming from the jail. When the woman answered the phone, there was silence. She said Argenio was the only one she knew who had been booked at the jail. The deputy verified that a “no contact” order was in place for Argenio and the woman and he should not have tried to contact her.
The native of Connecticut has been ordered to be held without bond due to the illegal phone call.