A Marion County woman was taken into custody Thursday evening after deputies say she attacked her sister with a metal thermos, caused thousands of dollars in damage with a machete, and threatened others during a domestic disturbance.
According to an arrest affidavit from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded around 5:10 p.m. Oct. 2 to a residence on U.S. 441 in Ocala. They found 33-year-old Yaneysi Herrera-Reyes standing at the end of a driveway with a ripped shirt and dried blood on her hands.
Deputies reported that her sister, Yeissy Valdes-Reyes, was visibly shaken and bleeding from a head injury. Hospital staff later determined she needed three staples to close the wound.
Witnesses told deputies that during an argument in the garage, Herrera-Reyes attempted to strike her teenage son with a thermos before Valdes-Reyes intervened. The affidavit states Herrera-Reyes then hit her sister multiple times in the head with the thermos.
After the two were separated, Herrera-Reyes allegedly retrieved a machete and garden shears, smashing mirrors, windshield wipers, and the windshield of Valdes-Reyes’ Ford sedan. The victim estimated the damage at $6,000. One witness told deputies he feared for his safety when Herrera-Reyes advanced toward him with the machete.
During questioning, Herrera-Reyes admitted to attempting to strike her son with the thermos and to damaging the vehicle. She told deputies she preferred to “hurt property than a person.”
Deputies noted she is currently on felony probation out of Hillsborough County. She now faces multiple felony charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery causing bodily harm, and criminal mischief over $1,000.
Herrera-Reyes was booked into the Marion County Jail with no bond.
