Ormond Beach, FL – A 38-year-old Ormond Beach man is behind bars after officers say he got drunk, pointed a loaded shotgun at his girlfriend and attacked at least 1 child while camping on an island in the Halifax River.
Donny J. Paytas left Volusia County Jail on Wednesday, 5 days after that incident at Tomoka State Park. He was arrested on Tuesday by the Ormond Beach Police Department and charged with child abuse, aggravated child abuse, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and throwing a missile.
Officers say Paytas’ 37-year-old girlfriend – who lives with him, her son and his child at a residence on Oakwood Park – drove to the police department to report what happened soon after Paytas used a boat to drop her and the kids off on the mainland.
According to the arrest report, Paytas’ girlfriend claimed all 4 of them and another woman were at the island around 5 PM Saturday when she and one of the kids went around the island gathering wood, leaving everyone else at the campsite.
It was when she returned to the campsite that she noticed her son had a swollen red mark on his cheek. Paytas admitted to causing that by punching the boy in the face for misbehaving, per the report.
The report also noted that Paytas had apparently been drinking tequila “all day” and he got upset when Paytas’ girlfriend decided to take the kids and go back home. Police believe he threw a foldable lawn chair at one of the kids, hitting them in the forehead and causing a scratch. The report did not specify which of the kids.
OBPD thinks it was soon after that when Paytas grabbed a shotgun he brought with him, placed a round in the chamber and piloted the boat back to the mainland while pointing the gun at his girlfriend.
Paytas reportedly went back to the camp with the other woman after dropping his girlfriend and the kids off, but officers weren’t able to find him when searching the island later that night. He turned himself in on Tuesday, according to OBPD Officer Keith Walker.
Paytas remains in VCJ custody as of 5:30 PM Wednesday.
Donny J. Paytas (mugshot courtesy VCJ)
Copyright 2016 Southern Stone Communications.