A Belleview man is behind bars after deputies say a family argument turned into a demolition job at his mother’s home.
Deputies responded Tuesday night after 28-year-old Elliot Javier Garcia allegedly lost his temper during a fight with his mother over taking his sister’s car. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Garcia kicked the leg off a chair, ripped the frame from a door, and shattered a light fixture before following his mother outside as she tried to call 911.
That’s when deputies say Garcia grabbed her Samsung phone and smashed it on the ground, cutting off her call for help. Witnesses told deputies he kept yelling until his stepfather stepped in to separate the two.
Garcia left the house with relatives but was later tracked down at AdventHealth Belleview, where deputies say he admitted breaking the phone but denied getting physical. Records show he has a prior battery conviction out of Texas.
He was arrested on charges of domestic battery (second offense), criminal mischief for the broken electronics, and tampering with a witness. He is being held at the Marion County Jail without bond.
