Christmas beating leads to arrest

A man is in custody after severely beating his girlfriend on Christmas, deputies said.

Bruce Ercolano, 40, of 7185 Royal Oak Drive, was charged with felony battery and battery by strangulation.

He is accused of assaulting the victim following an argument over whether they should visit her parents on Christmas, according to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

The argument escalated when Ercolano "progressively began getting physically violent with (the victim) due to her previous relationship with an African-American male," a detective wrote in an arrest report.

The suspect began striking her in the face with a closed fist, knocked her to the ground, pushed her on the bed and started choking her, deputies said.

The victim broke free, but Ercolano threw her against a dresser in the bedroom, straddled her, punched her repeatedly and kicked her in the face and torso, according to the report.

Ercolano then drove the victim to her parents' house in Pasco County, at which time he repeatedly punched her in the head and face, deputies said.

The victim's injuries included bruising around both eyes, contusions and bruising along her left forearm, left hip, left calf, both knees, abdomen and rib area. She also sustained two fractured vertebrae, according to the arrest report.

Ercolano was arrested Wednesday at his home without incident, deputies said.