A 20-year-old Gulf Breeze man was charged with Battery (Domestic Battery by Strangulation) last Wednesday after he openly admitted to choking his own girlfriend during an argument she was having with his father.
Upon conducting their investigation, the responding Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s deputy arrested Albert Warren Berry, and charged him with the third degree felony.
According to Berry’s arrest report, a deputy was dispatched to a home on Stage Coach Trail in Gulf Breeze early last Wednesday morning in reference to a disturbance complaint.
When the deputy arrived on scene, he spoke with the suspect who openly admitted to putting his own girlfriend in a choke hold after she got into an argument with his father inside of the home, the report indicated. Berry told deputies his girlfriend of 10 years started to get into an argument with his father and grabbed his father’s thumb. That’s when Berry said he placed the victim in a choke hold and brought her to the ground, the report stated. He told deputies that he only let go of the victim when his father “instructed him to do so”, according to the report.
The deputy then spoke with the victim who stated she was talking to the suspect’s father about his health and an argument started. When the argument ensued, she stated her boyfriend came up behind her and started to choke her, according to her statement in the report. The report stated that she told the deputy that while she was being choked it was hard for her to breathe and she was scared. The report indicated that Berry’s father had to pry the suspect off of her to get him to stop choking her.
After being released from the alleged choke hold, she claimed Berry attempted to damage the landline phone in the residence and damaged several walls inside of the home, the report stated.
The deputy later spoke with the suspect’s father and the man told the deputy that the incident was “blown out of proportion” and that he didn’t want anyone in his family to go to jail, according to the report.
The deputy noted in the report that Berry had injuries on his knuckles that appeared to have been caused by him punching an object. The report also indicated that there was a hole in the wall next to the entrance of the residence. The hole was noted as being about the size of a human fist. The report indicated that the deputy was not able to observe any injuries on the victim.
Based on Berry admitting that he choked his girlfriend and the statement made by his girlfriend, the deputy arrested the suspect and transported him to Santa Rosa County Jail.
Berry was later released from jail after posting $5,000 bond.
Berry has no prior arrests in Santa Rosa County according to the Santa Rosa County Jail View website.
