Keys tourists fight over woman in a wheelbarrow — then someone bit off a piece of ear
A bunch of friends were on vacation this week in the Florida Keys. But during an early morning argument at a fancy resort just outside of Key West city limits, the party apparently went south.
Make that deep south.
One man began shoving several friends to the ground and then used his teeth as a weapon, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
James Lenn Williams, 45, of Port St. Lucie, bit off part of one friend’s ear during the scrap that happened around 2:30 a.m. Thursday, deputies reported.
Williams, who was taken to the county jail on Stock Island, faces charges of aggravated battery and domestic battery by strangulation, which are both felonies. He also is looking at two additional counts of misdemeanor battery.
The 28-year-old man on the receiving end of the bite was left bloody and without a piece of his ear when deputies arrived.
He told them the group was staying at Oceans Edge Resort & Marina Key West, 5950 Peninsular Ave. on Stock Island, when one woman passed out.
Williams placed her in a wheelbarrow meant for hotel maintenance crews to use and was pushing her back to a room when things took a turn, deputies said.
Williams began dumping beer on her while insulting her, said sheriff’s office spokesman Adam Linhardt.
The 28-year-old said he intervened, telling Williams he was being disrespectful. Williams got angry, and when his friends tried to calm him down he shoved one woman to the ground, deputies said. Williams shoved another woman to the ground when she tried to make peace by getting between the two men, deputies said.
“Williams then pushed the male victim to the ground and began choking him,” Linhardt said. “The male victim stated that Williams bit part of his ear off while others were trying to separate them.”
Williams walked away and more deputies were called in, along with a K9 unit, to track him down on the resort property. He didn’t want to speak with deputies, police said.
He may have burned some bridges with his pals. On Friday morning, he remained in jail on an $80,000 bond.
There were no life-threatening injuries reported, Linhardt said.
This story was originally published August 6, 2021 at 11:48 AM.
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