By Gavin Johnson, WCJB TV20 News

Early this morning a man from Starke was arrested for choking his girlfriend and holding her hostage.

Police in Starke, say, 44-year old Milburn Brown came home drunk, choked his girlfriend, and then held her hostage with a baseball bat for three hours. All while a three year old child was inside the home. Chief Gordon Smith, says, "I couldn't imagine my children, and i'm a father of two children. imagine what those kids have to go through to live in the environment when they live in fear. and no one should have to live in fear in their own home."

But domestic violence advocates say too many women and kids are living in fear. Especially, during this time of year, from August through December. Because abusers use financial stress, the holidays, or kids going back to school as an excuse.

Police officers in Starke say from January through June they had twenty nine cases of domestic violence reported. But twenty-one cases have already been reported within the last three months.