Dec 18, 2018 2 min read

A Marianna man was jailed following a domestic disturbance Thursday during which he allegedly struck his 8-year-old daughter in the face.

Matthew James Jefferson, 34, of 405 Third St., had gotten into an argument with the mother of his daughter about 7:40 p.m. at his residence. State police said that when the argument became physical, their daughter tried to get between them. That’s when Jefferson allegedly punched her in the eye, according to the criminal complaint.

Police said Jefferson then grabbed the mother by the throat and pushed her into a television and a wall. He then pushed her onto a bed and “applied more pressure” to her neck before she was able to kick him off. Jefferson also allegedly bit her arm multiple times.

Police said the child fled to her grandfather’s house to call 911. Police said they noticed bruising on the child’s cheek near her eye. The mother had bite marks and cuts on her arms, was bleeding from her nose, and had bruising on her neck, police said.

Jefferson was charged by state police with strangulation and two counts each of simple assault and harassment. He was arraigned Friday by District Judge Ethan Ward and jailed on $50,000 bond.