Marion County deputies arrested an Ocklawaha man early Sunday morning after a woman reported being choked to the point where she couldn’t breathe and feared for her life.
When deputies arrived at the home on SE 176th Court Road around 11:30 p.m. Saturday night, a woman told them she was in her bedroom talking with 29-year-old Jacob Christopher Clyburn when a violent altercation broke out. She said he became upset and slapped her on the left side of her face, then grabbed her by the neck with both hands and forced her to the ground, a sheriff’s office report states.
The woman told deputies that while she was on the ground, Clyburn began to squeeze her neck with both hands and choked her to the point she had difficulty breathing, the report says.
The woman told deputies that a man who was at the home walked in during the altercation and pulled Clyburn off of her. She also said she believed a laceration on her arm and a possible broken toe happened during the incident, the report says.
The deputy noted in his report that he saw “mild redness” on the right and left side of the woman’s neck, as well as a “large” laceration on her arm that appeared to be bleeding slightly. He also said he saw swelling and purple discoloration on top of the woman’s foot and noted that she was having difficulty walking.
Clyburn told deputies that he pushed the woman during the verbal altercation and fell on top of her on the bed. He claimed they both fell on the floor, where he ended up on top of her again. And he said while they were on the floor, the woman struck him on the left side of his face.
Clyburn also said that after being hit, he placed his hands on the woman’s shoulders and leaned in until the other man visiting the home walked in and pulled him off the woman.
The deputy noted that he saw “redness and mild swelling” on the left side of Clyburn’s face.
The other man, who identified himself as friends with both the woman and Clyburn, said he was at the residence when heard the verbal altercation break out. He said he walked into the bedroom and saw Clyburn on top of the woman, but due to the position of both, he couldn’t tell if Clyburn had his hands around the woman’s neck.
Clyburn was taken into custody, booked into the Marion County Jail at 12:31 a.m. Sunday and charged with battery by strangulation. He was held on $10,000 bond and is scheduled to appear before a Marion County judge Aug. 14 at 9 a.m.
