- September 16, 2024
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A Maryland man was arrested for allegedly choking and imprisoning his girlfriend after an argument about money became violent.
Steven McSwain, 47, had been living with his girlfriend in Bunnell for just over a month. On Sept. 6, the two began arguing over money when the argument became violent, according to an arrest report.
The girlfriend broke up with McSwain, telling him if he was not going to look for a job then he could find another place to leave. McSwain grabbed a bag and went out onto the porch. When the girlfriend asked him if that was all he needed so she could lock the door behind him, McSwain came back in the home and grabbed the girlfriend by the neck, the report said.
The girlfriend later told Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies that McSwain began choking her before he threw her to the ground and dragged her back to the bedroom, the report said. McSwain kept her from leaving the room, repeatedly slamming her head into the floor, wall and bed every time she tried to leave. He took her cell phone and even unplugged her Amazon "Alexa" device so she couldn’t call 911.
The girlfriend said she tried to escape over 15 times before managing to crawl out of the attached bathroom window. She got in her van and left her home for a neighbor’s house to call 911.
When Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived at the girlfriend’s home, McSwain was not inside, a FCSO press release said. Deputies eventually found McSwain at a nearby Dollar General, where he was arrested and charged with domestic battery, kidnapping and tampering with a victim.
He is being held on $75,000 bond at the county jail.
