Man arrested for domestic battery and holding woman against her will for 48 hours
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Giovany Rojas-Castro, 19, was arrested last night for allegedly hitting and choking a woman and holding her against her will for about 48 hours.
An Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a call from a friend of the victim, who said she had seen live video of the victim being abused by Rojas-Castro. When a deputy arrived, he reported that Rojas-Castro was leaving, and a traffic stop was conducted on his vehicle.
The victim reportedly said she had been held against her will in her home for about 48 hours because Rojas-Castro had become upset with her; she said he hit her and choked her and took her phone so she could not call for help. At one point, she said, she managed to send a text to a friend, and when she went outside to meet her friend, Rojas-Castro chased her and carried her back inside her home. She said he also punched holes in the walls and damaged her property.
The victim’s friend reportedly showed a deputy several videos that corroborated the victim’s account.
The deputy reported that there were two holes in the walls where it appeared Rojas-Castro had punched the wall, and a cabinet was damaged.
Rojas-Castro reportedly gave a fake name at first but later provided his real name. Post Miranda, he was adamant that he had never harmed or hit the victim and said she was the one who had abused him, but when confronted with the video evidence, he reportedly said he did not want her to leave because he was concerned for her safety. The deputy reported that Rojas-Castro “had a hard time explaining his actions to deputies.”
Rojas-Castro has been charged with holding an adult hostage, felony battery, simple battery, and property damage. He has no criminal history, and Judge Jonathan Ramsey ordered him held without bail on the kidnapping charge, pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s office to hold him without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that hearing. Judge Ramsey set bail at $20,000 on the other charges.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
We need a bigger wall.
Is this person a US citizen?
Looks like he grew up staring at a screen since birth. He should hire a good ACLUSPLCDNC public defender 👹👿👺💩🤡
Dear Alachua Chronicle, is it possible to obtain, through a public records request, information indicating whether criminal suspects (featured in your arrest records) are U.S. citizens or foreign nationals? Or do local law enforcement agencies intentionally refrain from ascertaining or recording such information, whether by policy or practice, in order to preclude its disclosure and avoid potentially alerting federal immigration authorities such as ICE or U.S. Customs and Border Protection?
He might be a Dreamer spawn from Mariel boatlift.
“He has no criminal history, and Judge Jonathan Ramsey ordered him held without bail on the kidnapping charge, pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s office to hold him without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that hearing. Judge Ramsey set bail at $20,000 on the other charges.”
The pattern I see is if the perp is a foreigner and has ‘no criminal history’ they are likely illegal aliens. Please call ICE!
I was going to say he needs a haircut, but it looks like he’s hiding some big ears behind that hair.
I’ve noticed a dramatic shift in comments lately. Very quickly becoming alarmingly racist in nature.
I think it bears noting that according to the 2020 census, only 51.5% of Florida’s population is white. Basically, every other person will be a person of color. Just because they’re not white, just because their name isn’t what you want it to be – does NOT automatically mean they’re not American citizens.
This country was founded as a refuge against persecution – all are created equal. It’s in our Declaration of Independence.
It creeps up, this mentality, and takes over…please stop. Remember who we are as a country. A melting pot where everyone should be welcome regardless of race, religion or whatever makes them different – its what made us great in the first place. Let’s protect our neighbors rather than turning on them.