A 73-year-old Summerfield man is facing domestic battery and evidence tampering charges after deputies say he unplugged his own house security camera moments before allegedly slapping, grabbing a woman's upper neck and lower jaw, and spitting on her inside his home early Friday morning.
Marion County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to Charles Demino's residence in Summerfield around 1:30 a.m. Friday after reports of a physical disturbance, according to an arrest report cited by Villages-News.com. The outlet reported the arrest and says the home's security camera began recording again when law enforcement arrived, after it had stopped working when Demino appeared to manipulate it.
Demino allegedly explained to deputies that he unplugged the camera because he did not want the woman to go to jail or anyone to see what was going to happen, the report states. Video captured earlier by the same security system had recorded Demino calling the woman names, and the arrest report notes he knew a physical altercation would ensue, according to the same account.
What the Video Did and Didn't Capture
The security system's footage did not record the physical altercation itself, per the report cited by the outlet's coverage. Separately, cellphone footage taken by the victim showed Demino walking to and opening the woman's bedroom door, the report states.
According to the account, Demino grabbed the woman's necklace and shirt, breaking both, and grabbed her upper neck and lower jaw. He is also accused of slapping the left side of her face and pushing her into the door, and he admitted to deputies that he spit on her, the report notes. The woman reportedly pushed Demino out of the doorway during the encounter.
Deputies documented redness to the bottom left of the woman's face, her upper neck, chest and both inner arms, according to the report. Her bedroom door also showed fresh damage to its frame, the outlet reported.
Conflicting Accounts of How It Started
Demino gave deputies his own version of events, claiming the woman became erratic after being confronted about something on her iPad and alleging that she punched him in the stomach and shoved him to the ground, according to the report. He reportedly told deputies he grabbed the woman only to keep himself from falling. Demino could not explain what happened to the woman's face, per the same account.
Demino, a New York native, was booked at the Marion County Jail without bond on charges of domestic battery and tampering with evidence. Under Florida Statute 903.047, judges may impose pretrial-release conditions in domestic-violence cases, including strict no-contact conditions, according to Musca Law.
Felony Exposure Over the Camera
The evidence tampering charge carries its own weight independent of the battery allegation. Under Florida Statute 918.13, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison, five years of probation, and a $5,000 fine, according to Hussein & Webber, PL. Prosecutors must prove that the defendant knew an investigation or proceeding was pending or about to be instituted and acted with the purpose of impairing the evidence's availability, rather than necessarily proving that a crime was already known to be under investigation.
A domestic battery conviction in Florida also carries mandatory consequences beyond potential jail time. State law requires completion of a 26-week Batterers' Intervention Program and at least one year of probation, according to Pinellas County Criminal Defense Attorneys. Where a victim sustains physical injury, courts must impose a mandatory minimum of five days in county jail, the same source notes. A conviction for a qualifying domestic-violence offense may also trigger a federal firearms prohibition under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9).
A Community With an Aging Population
Summerfield is an unincorporated community in Marion County near U.S. Route 301, with more than 31,500 residents and a median age between 54 and 61, reflecting a large older adult population, according to GreatData.com. The area sits roughly 15 miles south of Ocala near major 55-plus residential communities.
The Marion County Sheriff's Office responded to the reported domestic disturbance. Its role in any GPS program is not established here.
The availability of specific support services for local victims, including an emergency shelter or 24/7 hotline, is not established by the sources cited here.
It remains unclear whether the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office will retain the felony tampering count when formal charges are filed, or whether a judge will order additional pretrial conditions such as GPS monitoring. Hoodline previously reported on a prison term in a separate Marion County domestic battery case that also hinged on recorded evidence.
