A Fruitland Park man was taken into custody for allegedly backhanding his father while driving near DeLuna.
Around 4:30 p.m. Sunday, an officer responded to the Village of DeLuna’s entrance for a physical disturbance, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department. The Dispatch said that Ryan William Gough, 21, had punched his father in the eye and shattered his spectacles.
When the officer arrived, he met with Gough and his girlfriend. The former stated that he, his girlfriend, and his father were driving back to his father’s home in Fruitland Park when an argument erupted over the vehicle he was operating. The truck had recently received new tires and was supposed to be aligned, but Gough believed the vehicle was still pulling to the left and right due to front-end mechanical issues, according to the report.
Gough was trying to explain these difficulties to his father after passing a vehicle that was going below the speed limit. His father became outraged and accused him of unsafe driving. The dispute turned into a verbal altercation in which his father “bowed up” at him as if to strike him, according to the report.
Gough raised his hand in an attempt to deflect the expected strike, which struck his hand. He refused to explain what happened next. He claimed he couldn’t remember because he “blacked out,” according to the report.
The officer then spoke with Gough’s father, who had injuries consistent with blunt-force trauma. According to the report, blood covered his shirt and there was a large laceration beneath his right brow near his eye.
He added that the trio was driving northbound on US Highway 301 after leaving Coleman when he noticed Gough swerving. He advised Gough to “watch out,” and he explained that the truck was swerving owing to mechanical troubles. His father reiterated that Gough was driving and that he purposefully swerved the vehicle, according to the report.
The argument became so heated that Gough abruptly hit the brakes, pulled over to the shoulder of the road, and “bowed up” at his father in an aggressive manner. Gough began yelling at his father after he “bowed up” in response. He then backhanded his father’s right eye, breaking his glasses and causing a laceration. According to the report, the father then removed the keys from the vehicle to prevent Gough from driving away.
When speaking with Gough’s girlfriend, she initially indicated that she couldn’t remember what happened. She eventually confirmed that an argument erupted over the truck and continued after they pulled over. According to the report, when she saw Gough’s father raise his arm, she flinched and shielded herself behind Gough.
She looked back and saw them both collide. Following the altercation, she and Gough exited the truck and started heading toward Coleman, where his mother lived. According to the investigation, her account differed from both Gough’s and his father’s accounts. Neither mentioned her hiding.
Gough was arrested on a battery charge and booked into the Sumter County Detention Center without bond.
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