A driver passing through Palm Coast early Sunday spotted a man and woman arguing on a sidewalk, turned her vehicle around to check on them, and found the man on top of the woman with his hands around her neck. Deputies say that driver's decision to stop and call 911 may have saved the woman's life.
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded to Old Kings Road and Town Center Boulevard at 1:45 a.m. Sunday after the passing driver reported seeing a man strangling a woman. According to WFTV, the confrontation began as an argument between the woman and 44-year-old Eulices Soto inside a vehicle before it spilled onto the sidewalk, where Soto began strangling her. The victim reportedly could not breathe for several seconds, and deputies found her with blood on her lip and behind her left ear, along with red marks around her neck.
Sheriff Rick Staly said the passing driver likely saved the woman's life, adding that strangling someone is, in his words, a few seconds away from a homicide. Deputies removed a knife from Soto's back pocket before placing him on the curb, and per WFTV, the sheriff noted Soto had ignored a warning the agency had issued the previous week urging residents to de-escalate arguments before they turn violent.
A Recent Release From Federal Prison
Investigators identified the man as Soto, of Palm Coast, and the Flagler County Sheriff's Office said he had recently been released from federal prison. Soto served 17.5 years behind bars following a conviction for conspiracy to import more than one kilogram of heroin into the United States, the agency said. He was taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, the same jail that houses all adult felony bookings in Flagler County, before posting a $35,000 bond.
Professional networking records show that after his release, Soto started a handyman business called Coastal Handy Solutions, based on Pine Cone Drive in Palm Coast, and joined the local BNI Prestige Partners chapter in July 2025, according to BNI America. Soto now faces a charge of domestic battery by strangulation.
What Florida Law Says About Strangulation Charges
Under Florida Statute § 784.041(2), domestic battery by strangulation is defined as intentionally impeding the normal breathing or blood circulation of a romantic partner or household member. The Florida Senate's statute page notes the offense is classified as a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in state prison, five years of probation, and a $5,000 fine.
A conviction also carries consequences beyond prison time. Legal guides from Hanlon Law explain that a conviction requires mandatory completion of a 29-week Batterers' Intervention Program, strips firearm rights during probation, and cannot be sealed or expunged from a defendant's criminal record. It remains unknown whether prosecutors will pursue additional weapons-related charges tied to the knife found in Soto's pocket, or whether federal probation officers will move to revoke his supervised release over the state arrest.
Local Resources and Recent Cases
The case adds to a string of severe domestic violence prosecutions in Flagler County. In July, a Flagler County jury convicted Bunnell resident Jermaine Williams Sr. of premeditated first-degree murder in the stabbing death of his wife, reflecting what FlaglerLive described as heightened scrutiny of domestic violence cases in the area.
Domestic violence victims can call or text 911 during an emergency, and the sheriff's office also maintains a non-emergency line at 386-313-4911 for reporting injunction violations or requesting assistance. The Family Life Center in Bunnell, Flagler County's certified domestic violence shelter, operates a confidential 24-hour hotline at 386-437-3505 and runs a 15-bed safe house with pet accommodations and emergency meals, according to DomesticShelters.org. The center also offers an Injunction for Protection Project that connects survivors with free legal representation to pursue civil protection orders.
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