'This monster's face needs to be EVERYWHERE': police search for domestic battery suspect

An Oak Hill man who beat, choked, and knocked his girlfriend to the ground while she was holding a child on Sept. 5 is still at large, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.

Michael Anthony Merritt, 35, has a warrant for his arrest charging him with felony battery, child neglect without great harm, domestic violence, battery by strangulation, and kidnapping/false imprisonment of an adult.

Violent history

Merritt being free has caused anxiety for some, including a woman he had a child with who emailed the News-Journal.

"Can you please cover this on the news?" asked Brandii Saunders. "This monster's face needs to be EVERYWHERE so whoever is hiding him will turn him in."

Saunders, who was not battered, said Merritt has a violent history with multiple women that includes strangulation and false imprisonment.

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The victim was Merritt's girlfriend of five years and has a child with him, the report states. She told deputies that between 12 a.m. and 2 a.m., they began arguing when the victim left some scraps of chicken on the kitchen counter and the dogs got to them.

Merritt became enraged and started screaming and cursing at the woman and then accused her of cheating.

He grabbed her phone and started scrolling through it, detectives said. The woman tried to flee, grabbing her son and running out of the house to a vehicle. The report states she broke her foot on the stairs as she tried to escape.

Merritt came to the vehicle and begged the woman not to leave, but after he saw she was determined to get away, he grabbed her by the hair, dragged her out of the vehicle, and took her back inside, detectives said. The woman then began to scream and Merritt grabbed her by the throat and tackled her as she held her child, the report shows.

Victim could not breathe

The child suffered a small abrasion on the left side of his neck behind his left ear and scratches on his left leg, investigators said. He squeezed the woman's neck to the point where she could not breathe, investigators said.

The pair separated and spent time in separate rooms until around 8 a.m. when she asked for the key so she could drive her child to school. The woman was able to leave home and went to a friend's house where she called deputies.

Sheriff's detectives said Merritt was previously arrested in November for battery, and in July 2012, both cases handled by Daytona Beach police.

Florida Department of Corrections show Merritt has spent several stints in prison including for a conviction on a domestic battery by strangulation charge and spent three years and 10 months in prison. He was released in September of 2016.

Saunders just wants him found.

"This isn’t a wanted ‘man’ that law enforcement is looking for. He is a monster, he is dangerous, and he needs to be off the streets," she said. "His history speaks for itself. He has been violent toward women and children for most of his life with barely any consequence."

The sheriff's office asks if anyone sees Merritt or knows where he is that they call 911 or 386-248-1777.

"He has so many pending cases," she said. "Enough is enough."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Alleged chicken scraps domestic abuser sought