A Villager has been sentenced in the wake of an attack on his wife at their home.
Steve Weherley, 73, of the Village of Country Club Hills, pleaded no contest this past week in Lake County Court to a felony charge of battery on a person over the age of 65. He has been placed on probation for three years and must complete a batterer’s intervention program.
He was arrested April 27 following an attack on his wife at their home on the Historic Side of The Villages. His 70-year-old wife went to The Villages Public Safety Department fire station on Paradise Drive, where she met with a police officer to report the attack, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department. She said they had been arguing when she tried to exit the home and go out onto the carport. However, Weherley, who stands 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs 200 pounds, grabbed her right wrist and forced her back into the home. She later tried to leave in the golf cart, but her husband of 10 years grabbed her neck and throat, again preventing her from leaving the residence. She eventually fled to a friend’s home. She deliberately left behind her phone so her husband could not track her.
She described a pattern of violence that began when they lived in Tennessee, where he had been arrested. She said she had been hesitant to call law enforcement because she feared the possible retaliation she would face when her husband was released from jail. Police photographed bruises on the woman’s neck. She noted that a necklace had been broken off her neck during the attack two days earlier.
It also appears the couple may be under financial pressure. Weherley’s credit card company filed a lawsuit against him earlier this year over an unpaid credit card balance of more than $12,000.
His wife has also filed for divorce.