By Joe Johnson
A man was arrested this week for allegedly assaulting a 70-year-old woman in her Athens apartment last month.
Ronald Keith Daniels, 52, was charged under the state Family Violence Act with exploiting or inflicting pain to deprive essential services to a disabled or elderly person, and also with battery and simple battery.
The incident occurred the night of Jan. 3 at an apartment owned by the Athens Housing Authority.
According to a heavily redacted Athens-Clarke County police report, Daniels kept his belongings in the victim’s apartment but did not stay overnight.
The elderly resident reportedly told police that Daniels “will often hit her and leave bruises,” and that on New Year’s Day they had gotten into an argument in which she tried to kick him, but he grabbed her foot and twisted it.
On the night of Jan. 3 Daniel got into a dispute with a 52-year-old woman, who was at the apartment at the request of a church member to make sure the older woman “was safe” from Daniels, according to the police report. During an argument, Daniels allegedly punched this other woman in the head and forced her down on a couch with his hand on her neck, told her she could not leave and placed the elderly woman between her and the door to block her from exiting the apartment.
The visiting woman reportedly told police that she had been in domestic violence relationships “and noticed the way that (Daniels) intimidates (the elder victim) for money and a place to stay.” She added that Daniels had “a massive size advantage” over herself and the elder victim, according to the report.
Warrants were subsequently issued for Daniels' arrest, and he was booked into the Clarke County Jail Monday night.
As of Wednesday afternoon, he remained incarcerated in lieu of good security bonds totaling $3,000.
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