Inset: Ronny Aloimar Escalante-Nino (Bonneville County Jail). Background: The area near where Escalante-Nino allegedly attacked a woman in a parking lot in Iona, Idaho (Google Maps).
An Idaho man was recently arrested for attacking a woman in a parking lot because he did not like the unhurried pace of her walking, according to law enforcement in the Gem State.
Ronny Aloimar Escalante-Nino, 28, stands accused of two counts of domestic violence inflicting traumatic injury, with an enhancement for domestic battery or assault in the presence of a child.
The walking-related incident occurred on May 18, just outside of a building on East Rockwood Avenue in Iona, a small town that is located some 9 miles northeast of Idaho Falls.
The violence, however, started days before, authorities say.
The victim reported that on May 16, Escalante-Nino punched her in the leg and the rib cage in front of her young daughter, according to court documents obtained by the East Idaho News.
The woman also said the defendant is "often physically abusive toward her," according to the Bonneville County Sheriff's Office.
The pair was leaving the Rockwood Avenue building together when the man "became upset because (the victim) was to(o) slow following him to the car for lunch," according to an incident report.
Then, the two began arguing. The woman said she tried to call a family member for help but Escalante-Nino "ripped the phone out of her hand and hit her with it in the wrist," the report reads. Deputies said the woman had a bruise on her wrist when they interviewed her.
The attack continued with the defendant slapping the woman behind one of her ears and then punching her in the shoulder and forehead, according to the sheriff's office.
On May 19, the injuries were still visible when the woman visited the local Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Center and told law enforcement about the past few days. A nurse at the center took note of a "large bruise on (the victim's) leg, wrist, shoulder, and head."
While the woman visited with the nurse, her young daughter allegedly told a deputy that Escalante-Nino "hits her mommy."
Investigators then obtained surveillance footage from the parking lot in question. In the video, Escalante-Nino is seen walking alongside the victim as a young girl follows behind, according to the sheriff's office. Minutes later, the defendant is seen holding a cellphone and pointing as the victim appears to be crying.
A deputy also spoke with a woman who talked to the victim immediately after the incident. The woman said she saw the victim return from lunch crying, according to the sheriff's office. The victim then told the other woman that Escalante-Nino is "aggressive and beats her" and allowed her to take pictures of her injuries. The woman shared those images with law enforcement, deputies said.
The incident report does not contain any references to any interviews with the defendant, according to East Idaho News.
On May 21, Escalante-Nino was taken into custody. He is being detained in the Bonneville County Jail on a $25,000 bond.
The defendant is being represented by a public defender and is slated to appear in court on June 3.