A Silver Springs man stands accused of banging a woman’s head against the floor of a camper and then strangling her during a domestic altercation.
The victim told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy that Christopher William Bucher, 48, of SE 159th Avenue, also took away her cell phone so she couldn’t call law enforcement, and that’s why she drove to the MCSO’s Forest District Office to report the incident, which happened Thursday.
The victim said she was at Bucher’s residence when he became upset over false accusations of her stealing his property. She said they were in his camper when the altercation took place. She said she was sitting at the dinner table when Bucher came down from his bedroom loft, grabbed her by her upper arms, began to shake her and threw her to the floor, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim said when she was on the floor, Bucher got on top of her, pinned her down, and banged her head against the floor several times. She said while he was on top of her, he broke her necklaces from around her neck and began to strangle her with his hands, the report said.
The victim said she was screaming, and Bucher covered her mouth and nose with his hand and closed off her airway. She said she was unable to breathe and was afraid Bucher was going to kill her. The deputy observed she had several scratch marks and superficial lacerations in her neck and collarbone area. The victim’s eye was also starting to swell and change color to black and purple, according to the report.
The victim said she did strike Bucher’s face once as she tried to get away from him. She said he released her and she said to him, “I’m calling the cops.” Bucher took her car keys, rushed out of the camper and went to her vehicle and took her cell phone to keep her from calling law enforcement. The victim said Bucher dropped her keys and ran off with the phone. She said she picked up her keys and drove to the Forest District Office to report the incident, the report said.
Contacted at his home, Bucher was immediately placed in handcuffs. He said, “I get punched in the face and I’m going to jail?” Bucher told the deputy the victim came to his residence and immediately started battering him in the face. He said he only restrained the victim to keep her from hitting him more. The deputy did not observe any injuries to Bucher’s face, according to the report.
Bucher was with committing domestic battery by strangulation and obstructing justice by tampering in a third-degree felony proceeding. He was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released early Saturday on $10,000 bond. He’ll appear in Marion County Court on July 16.