The estranged wife allegedly grabbed his genitals and then threatened to tell police he hit her.
A woman in Florida allegedly lashed out at her estranged US Army Ranger husband and then threatened to report to police that he was the aggressor — but unfortunately for her, it was caught on a GoPro video, and now she’s behind bars.
The low blow was caught on a GoPro that the man, Michael Novak, had started carrying with him due to numerous instances where he said he’s had to use a camera to either prove her guilt or prove his own innocence, according to a WTSP report.
The woman, 37-year-old Corinne Novak, was taken to jail by Pinellas County deputies. The two are involved in an ugly divorce and custody battle over their twin 2-year-old children. Michael attaches the GoPro to his belt with a parachute cord to make sure every single encounter he has with his wife is fully documented.
Fortunately for him, the GoPro had a fairly wide angle scope on it that catches much of the action, even from very close up.
The footage in question comes from a custody exchange last week, when Michael went to reach into the back of the car to unbuckle one of the sons. Suddenly, he screams and jerks backward, and a frame-by-frame review of the footage appears to show her hand as she grabs his genitals.
Michael said he was hopeful the footage would be helpful in a future court appearance to disprove his wife’s claims and prove his own, as men are often not believed in domestic disputes.
Michael Novak had reportedly been frustrated by previous attacks and decided he needed video evidence that Corinne Novak was out of control and abusing him — both in an attempt to prove his own claims, and to protect himself from her claims.
The couple has been at odds for a while, so Michael Novak began taking steps to protect himself from what he says are false accusations, and to prove to the court his own wife’s behavior.
The full video shows Novak reaching into a vehicle to unbuckle one of his sons, when Corinne Novak sneaks up behind him and appears to strike him in the testicles. The incident apparently happened on the morning of Sept. 17 in the town of Dunedin.
Michael says in the video, “What the **** is your problem?” while Corinne responds, “Why are you assaulting me?” immediately after the alleged testicle-grabbing.
“Call the police, I’m going to tell them you just assaulted me,” she can be heard saying on the video shortly after this altercation.
Michael Novak said he believes that she came at him from behind because he knows he wears the camera. Corinne Novak is being held on domestic violence charges. They have been married for 11 months, according to a News Channel 8 report.
Michael Novak said he has lots more video of her actions, including one video where she tased him while his arms were loaded with groceries.
In the latest video, the mother was waiting to pick up the boys for visitation. She was arrested after a Pinellas County deputy reviewed the GoPro video.
Pinellas County is located in southwest Florida as part of the Tampa Bay area, and it includes the city of St. Petersburg.
Domestic violence in the United States, or anywhere else in the world, can be fairly common and often lead to messy familial or legal situations. Oftentimes, it is not clear who is the abuser, but as men are more often the abuser than women, men who are abused find that their claims are often dismissed by the police or the court system, which explains why Michael Novak felt he needed to record his encounters.
Statistics show that about 22 percent of women and 7.4 percent of men have been physically assaulted by a current or former spouse, based on Department of Justice statistics. That partner can include a boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, or even just a one-time date. Gay and lesbian couples also face domestic violence issues.
Men are often subjected to domestic violence, but because they are far less likely to suffer from physical harm, they usually either don’t report the assaults because they don’t realize they’ve been abused or are afraid that if they take their claims to the police they will be ignored or ridiculed.
Daniel J. Brown
Daniel J. Brown (Editor-in-Chief) is a recently retired data analyst who gets a kick out of reading and writing the news. He enjoys good music, great food, and sports, with a slant towards Southern college football, basketball and professional baseball.