A 35-year-old Ocala man was arrested after he allegedly broke down a bedroom door and choked a female victim.
On Sunday, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a local residence in reference to a battery incident. Upon arrival, the deputy heard a man who was arguing with the female victim. The man was identified as Lawrence Kelsey Christensen IV.
The deputy separated Christensen and the victim. Christensen told the deputy that he had been frequently arguing with the victim about “little things,” and he claimed that it had never turned physical. He added that the most recent argument was about him leaving the residence.
After speaking with Christensen, the deputy interviewed the victim. She stated that Christensen was in a “very bad place” and he had threatened to move out on several occasions. On Sunday, when Christensen mentioned that he was going to leave the residence, she told Christensen that she wanted him to leave too.
The victim stated that Christensen became upset, and she locked herself inside a bedroom. Christensen allegedly broke down the door, screamed at her, and spit in her face multiple times.
According to the victim, Christensen attempted to break a television and then broke a Sony Playstation console by throwing it against the wall.
Christensen then allegedly grabbed the victim, threw her on the bed, and placed both of his hands on her throat. The victim told the deputy that Christensen squeezed her throat which made it hard to breathe, and she nearly lost consciousness.
The victim recalled scratching at Christensen which caused some of her acrylic nails to rip from her fingers. She advised that Christensen suddenly stopped choking her, and she crawled to the living room and exited the residence.
A neighbor then called 911.
The victim stated that Christensen had previously choked her multiple times and he had allegedly threatened to kill her if she ever contacted law enforcement.
The MCSO report indicated that the victim’s eyes were extremely bloodshot, the bottom of her neck had bruising and scratches, and some of her yellow acrylic nails had been ripped from the nail bed. The deputy also noted in the report that the bedroom door appeared to be damaged.
Christensen was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $5,000 bond. He is facing a felony charge for domestic battery by strangulation.
A court date has been scheduled on Tuesday, April 19 at 9 a.m., according to jail records.