Miami

Felix Varela Senior High Teacher Accused of Beating and Choking Wife

Rodolfo Amaral, 31, was arrested Sunday on one count of domestic battery by strangulation, according to an arrest report

A Miami-Dade high school teacher was arrested over the weekend on a domestic battery charge after his wife claimed he beat and choked her, police said.

Rodolfo Amaral, a teacher at Felix Varela Senior High School, was arrested Sunday on one count of domestic battery by strangulation, according to an arrest report.

The report said Amaral's wife went to police to report multiple batteries dating back to August 2017. She said the two have been married for a year and a half and lived together recently but are going through a divorce, the report said.

Amaral's wife detailed an incident in June when they got into a physical altercation and Amaral tried to elbow her in the face, the report said. She was able to dodge it with her hand but still went to the emergency room, the report said.

According to the report, the wife said Amaral wouldn't leave her side while she was at the hospital and she didn't seek police help because she was afraid of what he would do to her. She told nurses she had hurt her hand on something in the kitchen, the report said.

On Nov. 6, they got into another dispute and Amaral hit her on the side of the head, causing her to fall to the ground, the report said. He also kicked her, grabbed her hair and put his arm around her neck, "preventing victim any air exchange," the report said.

"The defendant then paced back and forward in the room advising victim of all of his MMA training and experience and how he knew how to break all her bones in her body," the report said. He also asked her "Why shouldn't I kill you?' according to the report.

Amaral's wife told police she is in fear for her life and said Amaral is "extremely dangerous," the report said.

Amaral was booked into jail and was later released on bond. Attorney information wasn't available.

According to his LinkedIn page, the 31-year-old Amaral is an English teacher at Felix Varela. A Miami-Dade Public Schools spokesperson confirmed Amaral was an employee but said the district was moving to immediately fire him.

"The alleged actions are inconsistent with behavior expected of all our employees, whether on and off-campus," the spokesperson said in a statement.

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