PORT ORANGE, Fla. — A Volusia County Fire lieutenant, accused of slamming his girlfriend’s head into a wall and choking her, is about to be released from jail.
Stephen Szabo Jr., 35, was arrested Monday night at his fire station, said Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood.
According to deputies, the victim did not object to Szabo’s release, even though she told court officers she’s afraid of him and that there’s a history of violence between them.
Szabo Jr. is accused of beating up his girlfriend inside her Port Orange apartment early Monday morning.
According to Port Orange police, she told officers the two had been drinking and he accused her of cheating on him.
She said Szabo Jr. demanded to see her phone, “grabbed her by her hair” and pushed her into a mirror that shattered, according to the arrest report.
Police said Szabo Jr. climbed on top of her and began choking her and said, “I’m going to prison over you.”
She managed to escape but not before he pushed her down and choked her again and slammed her head into the wall three times, police said.
A neighbor called police.
“She tried to get away from him, went inside and he’s kicking on the door and screaming,” the neighbor said on a 911 call.
A judge issued a no contract order between the pair.
Szabo Jr. was accused of battery during an incident at a Daytona Beach bar in 2012, but there were conflicting statements and charges were never filed.
Cox Media Group
