by Teresa Eubanks, CLJNews.com
BLOUNTSTOWN – A Blountstown man is facing three counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, felony battery resulting from bodily harm and kidnapping charges after a Feb. 9 altercation with a former girlfriend.
The victim approached a Blountstown Police Officer shortly after 7 a.m. on Feb. 10 in a state of disarray, stepping out of a vehicle wearing one sandal, a pair of shorts, a bra and a jacket. She reported that she had been attacked several times the previous night. She said her assailant would not allow her to leave his home and later forced her to accompany him when he drove to a local convenience store early that morning. He ordered her to go inside the store but she refused because she was wearing very little clothing. After he went in, she spotted a Blountstown Police Dept. vehicle parked nearby and approached the officer.
The woman told the officer that she had gone to the home of Steven LaVelle Ragston, 41, after he invited her over the previous evening. The victim, who had a previous relationship with Ragston, said she thought they were just going to “hang out” for a while.
She said she arrived at Ragston’s residence at 10 p.m. but around midnight, he began arguing with her, making accusations and calling her names. He wanted to resume their previous on-and-off relationship but when she said she wanted to just be friends, he got upset. She said he threatened to kill her and started choking her. He hit her in the head “too many times to count,” according to the arrest report.
She said when she got away from him and made her way to the kitchen, he grabbed a machete and hit her with the flat side two times. She told the deputy she had never seen him act in such a manner and that’s when she feared he was going to kill her.
The woman said Ragston punched her in the head with his closed fist several times, stomped on her with his bare foot and tore off her clothing. She also had scratches on both sides of her face along with redness on her neck and shoulders.
After speaking with the officer the victim left to go clean herself up, get dressed and go to the hospital. A short time later, the officer took her statement and photographed her injuries, which included an open wound on the back of her head where she had been hit with a speaker around 6 a.m. that morning.
A trespass warning was issued against Ragston, who was arrested Feb. 14.
His bond was set at $70,000.
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