SEBASTIAN — A 51-year-old man was detained after police said he struck a woman in the head with an empty Heineken beer bottle following an argument.
Heath Todd Bryant
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Police said Heath Bryant choked the woman and backed her against the wall before striking her with the bottle, reports show. The attack caused the woman, identified as Bryant’s stepdaughter, to have a bloody 2-inch lump on the back side of her skull, reports show.
Sebastian police arrested Bryant, of the 800 block of Foster Avenue, on a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Bryant was released Sunday from the Indian River County Jail on $10,000 bond.
Police responded to a disturbance about 6 p.m. Saturday at Bryant’s residence, where the woman also lives. The woman told officers Bryant came home from work yelling and causing a scene.
When Bryant asked for the keys to his truck, the woman threw the keys on the couch. Police said Bryant then got highly agitated and grabbed the woman by the throat.
A friend who was inside the home separated the two, reports show. Police said Bryant then followed the woman to the bathroom, grabbed a beer bottle and struck her in the head.
The woman had redness around her throat and bruises on her face, reports show. Officers said they spotted several empty beer bottles near the bathroom in a trash can.
Bryant told police the woman attacked him first, reports show. Officers said Bryant did not appear to be injured.
Police arrested Bryant and took him to the county jail. Bryant has an arraignment at 8:45 a.m. Nov. 1, court records show.
