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Sarasota deputies apprehend felon who battered ex-girlfriend

Posted at 7:22 AM, Oct 21, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-21 07:29:05-04

A 35-year-old convicted felon is in trouble with the law again after he assaulted and battered a former girlfriend when she attempted to end their relationship.

 

Henry Cokley was arrested by Sarasota County Sheriff’s deputies on Friday. He was booked into the Sarasota County Jail where he is being held on a bond of $329,000.

 

Cokley, who also uses the name Henry Keno, is facing a variety of charges including tampering with a witness, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and domestic battery.

 

According to a SCSO report, just after 10 am on Saturday, October 15th, the suspect rammed the driver’s side of the victim’s Honda with his Ford F-150 pick-up truck. The incident occurred at a convenience store/gas station on Washington Blvd.

 

The impact crushed the driver’s side door, shattered the window and forced the victim into the back seat.

 

The report states Cokley then got out of his truck and grabbed the victim by the hair as she attempted to flee. Surveillance video from the business shows Cokley punching the woman repeatedly with his fists.

 

Both fled the scene before law enforcement arrived. A few hours later several 9-1-1 calls came into the communication center in regards to a woman jumping from the third floor of a nearby apartment complex.

 

She suffered a broken leg and arm in the jump but Cokley managed to avoid deputies. They eventually tracked him down on Friday at a location in Manatee County.

 

The suspect is no stranger to law enforcement. Cokley served 2 ½ years in state prison for a child abuse with injury conviction out of Sarasota County. He was released from prison in January.