PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A 30-year-old man was arrested after the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said he broke into a woman's apartment and repeatedly beat her and her dog with a dumbbell.
Maximino Ever Jimenez Mancia is facing felony charges of attempted murder, burglary with assault or battery and animal cruelty. He was denied bond during a court appearance Saturday morning.
On Friday, deputies arrived at the JFK South emergency room in Boynton Beach where the victim was recovering with a bruised and swollen eye, a fractured nose, and multiple stitches and staples in the back of her head. Her boyfriend, who came to her aid after the incident, also was interviewed at the hospital.
The man told deputies he heard yelling while taking his dogs out earlier that morning. He heard someone crying for help and found the victim bleeding from her head in their apartment.
The victim said she was in the bathroom when she heard someone enter her apartment. A man, later identified as Jimenez Mancia, was standing behind her in a black hoodie and blue jeans, according to the arrest report.
She spun around and Jimenez Mancia reportedly struck her in the head with a green dumbbell. She fell to the ground and was struck two more times, according to the arrest report.
The victim said she was pushing the suspect off her while her male dog was attempting to scratch him. Jimenez Mancia took the dumbbell and struck the animal in the head twice, "which caused it to cry in pain and run away," according to the report.
Jimenez Mancia later said he was "sorry" and fled the apartment, the report said.
He was treated at JFK South for a laceration of a finger.