Florida man ‘rambling’ about coronavirus arrested in attack on pregnant woman, cops say
A Southwest Florida man was arrested after beating a pregnant woman because she thought she had coronavirus, according to a report from the Cape Coral Police Department.
The arrest affidavit states that officers responding Monday night to a domestic disturbance call heard screaming and saw an individual, later identified as Joseph C. Newell, straddling a woman outside a Cape Coral apartment complex.
The officers saw Newell’s hands around the neck of the woman, who is about six months pregnant. The woman was yelling and had blood on the side of her face, according to the complaint.
The 24-year-old suspect refused to get off the woman, despite the commands of the officer, who applied a “pain compliance” to his neck to get him to comply, said the report.
Officers handcuffed the man, who was in an “intoxicated state” and “rambling” about the victim having coronavirus, then began banging his head on the ground.
Newell was charged with one count of aggravated battery and released from the Lee County Jail on Thursday on $15,000 bond.
The victim was taken to a local hospital for observation, but her condition is unclear.
