A 91-year-old professor emeritus at the University of Florida was arrested on aggravated assault charges after authorities say he beat his wife inside their Gainesville apartment.
Michel K. Ochi was arrested after deputies were called to the home in the 13000 block of Newberry Road Thursday night to respond to a domestic disturbance call, Alachua County Sheriff's Office spokesman Art Forgey told the Gainesville Sun.
The deputies responded to the home just before 10 p.m. to the report which said a woman was being kicked in the head, according to the Sun. When deputies arrived, they head a disturbance inside, but no one would open the locked door.
Forgey said the deputies forced open the door and found Ochi standing above his wife, who was on the floor in a fetal position crying. Ochi had a broom, which authorities believe he was beating her with, according to the Sun.
According to an arrest report, Ochi and his wife had been arguing about having to leave the apartment for dinner.
Ochi's wife was taken to a nearby hospital, while the professor was booked into the Alachua County jail. Jail records showed he was later released.
Ochi and the department's director didn't immediately return requests for comment Saturday.
According to Ochi's faculty biography, he has been a professor emeritus at UF's Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering department since 2002. He was a professor in the department beginning in 1979.
