Immokalee man accused of attacking girlfriend with acid from car battery

Collier County deputies arrested an Immokalee man accused of attacking his girlfriend with battery acid during a domestic dispute.

Belony Auguste, 54, faces charges of aggravated battery and felony battery, according to a Collier County Sheriff's Office arrest report Tuesday.

A deputy responding to a report of an injured person at an Immokalee apartment complex met a woman who had bruising, swelling and burns to the left side of her face, according to the arrest report.

The woman, later identified as Auguste's girlfriend, told the deputy her boyfriend became "enraged" Sunday night because her children were calling her on Auguste's cellphone, the report states.

The woman said Auguste hit the left side of her face with a closed fist and knocked her on the ground, the report states.

Auguste then went outside to extract acid from his car battery and poured it on his girlfriend's face, "causing the burns to her face and affecting her sight," the report states.

The woman repeatedly told the deputy she was afraid of Auguste, the report states, and that she had to wait for him to go to work the next morning to call for help.

The couple had been living together for about four years and had no children together, the report states.

The deputy noted in his report that the woman had trouble seeing because of the exposure to acid and the injuries from being hit, according to the report. The woman said she wanted to press charges but could not complete a sworn statement because she was having trouble seeing, the report states.

On Monday morning the deputy found Auguste at a small grocery store a few blocks from the couple's apartment. According to the arrest report, Auguste initially was cooperative and said nothing happened with his girlfriend.

He stopped cooperating after the deputy asked Auguste whether he would talk to a detective to give a statement, the report states.

Auguste was booked at the Immokalee Jail Center. He spoke to a Sheriff's Office sergeant in Creole during processing and said he didn't know why he was being arrested, the report states. When the sergeant showed Auguste photos of his girlfriend's injuries, the man said his girlfriend fell, according to the report.

Collier County EMS Chief Tabatha Butcher said the woman was taken to a hospital as a non-emergent patient. Details on the extent of her treatment and her condition were not available.

"This is not something that is common, but we have had incidents involving battery acid exposure to patients — mostly accidental in nature," Butcher said in a text message.

Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Karie Partington on Tuesday said in an email that such crimes are rarely reported in Collier County.

The Sheriff's Office assigned a victim's advocate to the woman's case. A victim's advocate would help the woman navigate the judicial process if she so desires. An advocate also would provide information about getting a restraining order or help from the Shelter for Abused Women & Children, according to Partington.

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