A Leesburg man was arrested for allegedly choking a juvenile.
A Lake County sheriff’s deputy was dispatched Tuesday night to a residence in the 10400 area of County Road 44 to investigate a reported domestic disturbance.
When the deputy arrived at the home, he made contact with 37-year-old Joseph Michael McKeon and he smelled a strong oder of alcohol emanating from his person, according to the deputy’s arrest report. McKeon told the deputy that he was upset over a relationship with his fiancé which had just ended. He also said that nothing had occurred.
When the deputy spoke with the juvenile victim he was told that McKeon had been drinking all day. The juvenile said he locked McKeon out of the residence because he was afraid of what Mckeon might do. When McKeon began pounding on the door the juvenile let him into the residence. McKeon demanded that the child give him the phone he had and when the child refused the child was thrown to a bed and repeatedly struck. When McKeon began to choke the minor another juvenile who had witnessed what McKeon was doing began striking him on his back to get him to stop choking the other youth. As McKeon released his grip on the child’s throat, the child was able to bite McKeon’s hand and escape with his friend to a neighbor’s house where they called 911 for help. The deputy noted in his report that the victim had redness on the throat and face.
McKeon was booked at the Lake County Jail where bond was set at $10,000 on the aggravated child abuse charge. McKeon posted the bond the next day.
