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Lake Wales man charged with beating, choking ex-girlfriend and trying to glue her mouth shut

Posted at 12:43 PM, Oct 21, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-21 19:26:39-04

A Lake Wales man accused of beating and choking an ex-girlfriend and trying to glue her mouth shut with Super Glue before kidnapping her and taking a child along was behind bars in the Polk County Jail Friday.

Christopher Jackson Smith, 33, of Lake Wales faces multiple felony charges in connection with the Wednesday night, Oct. 19, incident.

Smith was charged with attempted murder in the second degree,  kidnapping inflicting bodily harm, domestic violence battery by strangulation,  domestic violence committing aggravated battery and negligent child abuse without bodily harm.

According to a Polk County Sheriff's Office affidavit, between the hours of 8 p.m. and 11:35 p.m. Wednesday Smith battered a 24-year-old woman at a residence in Lake Wales.

Deputies said Smith choked the woman until she passed out, knocked out one of her teeth during the incident, tried to glue her mouth shut to stop her from yelling for help and placed a kitchen knife in her back to force her inside a pickup truck. A child, whose age was not released, also left in the pickup with the couple, but the child was not placed in a car seat.

The suspect drove to Old Forty Road, punching and elbowing the victim in the face along the way, deputies said. At some point, the victim was able to send a message on Facebook to a friend to request help. She also stabbed Smith in the neck with a pocket knife she found on the floorboard of the truck.

Juan Mojica, who lives on Old Forty Road tells ABC Action News he heard and saw the truck near his home and went to investigate the suspicious vehicle. 

"I put the lights," said Mojica, "and I'm asking the guy, "What they do? This is private property? And he said "Well we lost" and the passenger, the woman, when he said "we lost" she said "no, please help." 

Mojica says the driver then drove away. 

He was able to quickly write the truck's tag number and call 911. 

 Deputies located the truck several blocks away, conducted a traffic stop and took the suspect into the custody. 

The woman was treated and released from an area hospital. Smith was flown to Lakeland Regional Health, where he was treated and released into the hands of sheriff's deputies. 

 Deputies located the truck several blocks away, conducted a traffic stop and took the suspect into the custody. 

The woman was treated and released from an area hospital. Smith was flown to Lakeland Regional Health, where he was treated and released into the hands of sheriff's deputies. 

Mojica didn't think twice about calling for help, and now, he's glad he did.

"Because, you know, maybe if I don't come," he said, "something happen."