A Palm Beach County man was arrested Tuesday after deputies said he strangled a woman he had previously dated, took her phone to stop her from calling 911, and threatened to kill her, her children and her mother if she tried to escape. Jassiem Brown, 32, now faces charges including battery by strangulation, false imprisonment and witness tampering, along with a string of additional counts stemming from a violent struggle with deputies during his arrest.
According to a probable cause affidavit from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, cited by WPBF, Brown and the woman had a previous relationship, and investigators say he had recently been released from jail on an earlier domestic violence case involving the same victim. Deputies said Brown contacted the woman and threatened to beat her before meeting her near her home, where the night turned violent, per the affidavit.
Woman Says She Was Trapped and Threatened All Night
Investigators said Brown grabbed the woman by the throat and pushed her against a wall, making it difficult for her to breathe. He then took her cellphone and other belongings, deputies said, preventing her from leaving or calling for help. The woman told deputies Brown threatened her throughout the night and would not let her leave, and the affidavit states he threatened to kill her, her children and her mother if she tried to escape.
The woman eventually fled and hid on a nearby patio while attempting to call 911, according to the station's report. When deputies arrived, she asked them to check on her children and her mother. Authorities later found Brown near the family's residence, per the account given to investigators.
Deputies Say Brown Fought Back, Tased Before Backup Arrived
Once located, Brown refused deputies' commands and became combative, the affidavit states. Deputies said he fought responding officers by punching, kicking and attempting to bite them during the struggle. Deputies used a Taser before additional units arrived, and Brown was taken into custody once reinforcements got to the scene.
Beyond the domestic violence allegations, Brown is also accused of battery on law enforcement officers, resisting an officer with violence, depriving law enforcement of communication and resisting without violence, according to the same affidavit. The investigation remains ongoing.
A Pattern Advocates Say Shows Up Again and Again in the County
Domestic violence advocates say cases like this one are far from isolated in Palm Beach County. Jennifer Rey, chief program officer at AVDA, told WPTV that the county typically logs between 4,500 and 5,000 documented domestic violence cases each year, with six to 12 domestic-violence-related homicides annually. Rey also identified stalking as a risk factor for homicide in these cases.
Other recent Palm Beach County arrests have followed a similarly violent pattern. In a separate case this month, a 30-year-old man named Chadwick Alan Chauncey faced multiple felony charges after deputies said he choked a woman and threatened her with a knife during a domestic dispute on Oct. 4, according to WPBF. Deputies said that woman was found with multiple bruises and told investigators Chauncey battered and choked her until she nearly lost consciousness; Chauncey ultimately emerged from a bathroom holding a knife to his own neck before authorities used a Taser and a less-lethal round to take him into custody.
