LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — A man has been accused of assaulting another man with an aluminum bat after being caught in an Airbnb with the man’s wife.
John Dimmig, 33, has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and burglary with battery, according to an arrest report.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) responded to the incident at approximately 10 p.m. at an apartment in Lake Worth Beach. Upon arrival, deputies discovered the living room covered in blood, with bloodstains leading to the bed.
Deputies found a man lying on his back, heavily bleeding and holding a towel to his head, according to an arrest affidavit.
The Palm Beach County Fire Rescue (PBCFR) arrived at the scene and transported the injured man to St. Mary’s Hospital as a trauma alert.
The victim informed deputies that he was visiting from Arizona and working as a CT technician. He stated that he had gone out for drinks with a coworker, who happened to be Dimmig’s wife, and they later returned to his Airbnb located at 820 South Federal Highway.
According to the arrest report, the victim was in bed with Dimmig’s wife when he heard the front door of the residence open. As he got up to check, he saw Dimmig rushing toward him with a bat.
The victim explained that he was pinned to the ground and struck three times with the baseball bat by Dimmig.
The report states that Dimmig’s wife intervened and pulled him off the victim. The victim recalled being warned, “Don’t ever go near my wife again.”
When asked by investigators what he believed would have happened if Dimmig’s wife hadn’t intervened, the victim stated that he believed Dimmig would have beaten him to death.
“I felt like he was out to kill me,” the victim told deputies, as documented in the arrest report.
After speaking with the victim, the investigator went to Dimmig’s residence, where Dimmig was observed loading two garbage bags of clothes into the trunk of his black Hyundai Accent.
According to the arrest report, surveillance footage obtained from the Airbnb property showed Dimmig entering the residence holding a bat around 11:57 p.m. Shortly after, a female voice inside the residence could be heard screaming, “John! Stop! He’s bleeding!”
Another video with a timestamp of 11:58 p.m. captured a male voice shouting, “Piece of s***! F***** you.”
The arrest report states that Dimmig’s wife gave consent for a search, leading deputies to discover a black aluminum bat in the laundry room, as well as a black ripped t-shirt and a white undershirt with apparent bloodstains.
During questioning, Dimmig claimed that he had been at home all day, except for a brief visit to Publix at the intersection of Northlake Boulevard and U.S. Highway 1. He also mentioned having a bat stored in the closet for self-defense or recreational purposes like playing baseball or soccer.
According to the report, Dimmig denied ever striking anyone with a bat.
Through further investigation, law enforcement identified Dimmig’s vehicle near the crime scene.
Dimmig was arrested and taken to Palm Beach County Jail, with his next court appearance scheduled for July 17.
