A Leesburg man was arrested early Wednesday morning after allegedly choking and hitting his wife.
She told a Lake County sheriff’s deputy that she had gotten into an argument with her husband, 44-year-old Manuel Ponce. She said that Ponce had been drinking and that he would not leave her alone, according to an arrest report.
She told the deputy that Ponce became enraged and grabbed her around the neck which made it difficult for her to breathe. He then hit her in the head with his fist. The deputy observed a large dark bruise on her arm which she said was caused by her husband hitting her earlier in the week.
The victim said that Ponce had taken their car, a silver Volkswagen with Texas plates, and headed north toward downtown Leesburg. The deputy then headed north on U.S. Hwy. 27, spotted the silver VW and pulled it over. When the deputy asked Ponce for his driver’s license the Texas native told the deputy that he never had a license. Ponce denied ever striking his wife.
Ponce was booked at the Lake County Jail on a charge of domestic battery by strangulation. Bond was set at $5,000.
