Former Amite City Council member Damon Ellzey, 50, was booked Wednesday, Nov. 4, on one count of battery on a dating partner with serious injury. The charge stems from an Oct. 24 incident in which a woman was found with a significant head injury near a vehicle in a ditch by Fleming Cemetery Road and Highway 1054.
WGNO, citing the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, reported that deputies were called to the area in the early morning after a crash was reported. They found the woman near the vehicle, which had gone into a ditch, with what the sheriff's office described as a significant forehead injury. The sheriff's office's account placed the vehicle in a ditch in front of a residence.
Deputies said the woman told them she had been trying to get away from an alleged fight with Ellzey and crashed while attempting to drive off. A warrant was issued for Ellzey, and deputies later arrested him during a traffic stop. He was booked on the battery charge on Nov. 4.
A Second Battery Allegation This Year
In September, Ellzey was wanted for second-degree battery after an alleged physical altercation outside the Raising Cane's River Center in downtown Baton Rouge, according to WBRZ.
That earlier case initially began as a misdemeanor summons for simple battery before the charge was upgraded to felony second-degree battery, the station reported. The outcome of that September case has not been made public.
Confidential help in Louisiana
The Governor’s Office on Women’s Policy lists a free, confidential, 24-hour Louisiana Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-888-411-1333.
Details surrounding the woman's identity, her medical condition following the Oct. 24 crash, and any response from Ellzey or an attorney representing him have not been released. It also remains unclear what has happened with Ellzey's case since Wednesday's booking, including any plea or court proceedings.
