A Leesburg man was arrested after allegedly hitting his wife in the head to stop her from taking apart their boat.
An officer responded to a disturbance between 34-year-old Justin Michael Shockley and his wife of six years at an undisclosed Leesburg residence around 8:25 a.m. Thursday, May 21, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Dispatch advised that he had admitted to hitting his wife in the head multiple times to get her to stop taking apart their boat.
When the officer arrived, Shockley added that he and his wife had been arguing since the day before. She told him to get his stuff and leave, so he went to work. He came home to see she was taking apart his boat, which angered him, the report said.
He then hit her on the head to prevent her from damaging the boat. He did not want her to go to jail over the incident, and he just wanted to leave with the boat, the report said.
His wife told the officer that the incident started the day before over financial issues. She had been working extra to save up for their daughter’s birthday and to do something as a family. She woke up to Shockley asking whether he was coming with them, so she went to the bathroom to get changed, the report said.
He came into the bathroom while she was using it, and they got into an argument. He then smacked her across the face, breaking her glasses, and she pushed him out of the bathroom. She later showed the officer the glasses with a lens popping out, the report said.
When asked about being hit in the head that day, Shockley’s wife stated he did not strike her. She stated, “It wasn’t really a hit; it was more of an elbow.” She sustained abrasions on her legs that she stated came from Shockley hitting her with the boat trailer after he drove forward to get the boat away from her, the report said.
Additionally, the two had been together for 13 years. They had one 12-year-old child together and a 17-year-old who belonged to Shockley, the report said.
Shockley was subsequently arrested on charge of simple battery (domestic) The West Virginia native was booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $2,000 bond.