A 55-year-old Ocala man is facing a felony assault charge after a woman claimed that he threatened to shoot her with a rifle.
On Friday, December 15, Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a local residence in reference to a possible hostage situation. A reportee had contacted the sheriff’s office and advised that a man, identified as Dwayne William Timmons, was “holding [the female victim] hostage” with a firearm, according to the arrest report.
The reportee told law enforcement that Timmons had allegedly threatened to shoot the victim “if she calls the police or he hears sirens.”
One of the responding deputies made contact with Timmons at the incident location, and he was detained in handcuffs. The arrest report stated that Timmons made numerous statements that “people would pay for this,” and he mentioned that he owns firearms.
The deputy noted in the report that contact was made with the victim inside the residence, and she initially advised that she “did not know what was going on.” She later admitted that she had sent a text message to a friend about the incident involving Timmons, and this friend proceeded to alert law enforcement.
Inside one of the bedrooms at the incident location, the deputy noted that an AR-15-style rifle between the mattress and box spring of the bed. The victim advised that this was the weapon that Timmons used while allegedly threatening her.
The victim stated that Timmons held her in the bedroom while he was wielding the rifle, which caused her to fear for her life. She further advised that Timmons “becomes homicidal towards her” when he drinks, and he allegedly threatened to kill her several times during the incident in the bedroom, according to the victim’s statement.
The report stated that the victim had taken a photograph of Timmons when he was armed with the rifle during the incident, and he was wearing the same clothes when law enforcement made contact with him at the home. The victim told law enforcement that she had taken the picture when Timmons “had her in the room.”
After being read his Miranda rights, Timmons claimed that he “never held the victim in the room,” and he added that “no firearms were present.” When he was shown the photograph that the victim had taken, which showed him holding a rifle while wearing the same outfit, he stated that he was “threatened by unknown individuals from up north,” according to the report.
Timmons was arrested, transported to Marion County Jail, and he was released the following day after posting a $5,000 bond. He is being charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, which is a felony.
A court date has been scheduled at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, according to jail records.