A Lee County man was arrested on Jan. 20 for a domestic violence battery charge, accused of rolling his wife up in a carpet and beating her. The man, the Southwest Florida regional director for U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, resigned from his position after being placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation into the incident. Deputies showed up at the man's home after a 911 call by his wife. After arriving, they noticed the woman was distraught and her elbow was injured and spotted with dried blood.

The wife claims that during their confrontation, he pushed her and she fell onto a carpet in their garage. He allegedly rolled her up into the carpet and began to beat her while she was inside of it. She was able to unroll herself, but her husband then allegedly pushed her into the wall, causing the injuries to her elbow. Deputies believe the evidence found at the scene was consistent with her story.

The children were asleep at the time of the argument, and the wife refused medical treatment. She declined to press charges against her husband. However, law enforcement found the husband at a local hotel and arrested him for domestic violence battery. He was released on a $1000 bond. The man's attorney claims the allegations are false and that the husband and another witness contradicted what was written in the police report.

Domestic violence issues in a family are serious, and instances of violence in Fort Lauderdale and throughout the state appear to be increasing, as we noted in a recent post. Small arguments can get out of control and quickly escalate into a public matter if police become involved. For those victims of spousal abuse who have decided to seek a divorce, care must be taken to proceed in a manner that protects one's safety while seeking a fair and equitable resolution of all matrimonial issues. In the meantime, it is important to know that it may be possible to obtain a restraining order.

Source: Miami Herald, "Marco Rubio staffer quits, accused of rolling wife in carpet," Kelli Kennedy, Jan 23. 2012