Monroe County deputies arrest Cudjoe Key man after violent attack on woman

Monroe County sheriff’s deputies arrested Joshua Joe Easterday, 49, after they say a violent attack at a Cudjoe Key home left a woman unconscious and bleeding from facial injuries.

Deputies responded around 10 a.m. on April 17 and found the woman lying near the foot of a bed. She was breathing but hurt, and was taken to Lower Keys Medical Center on Stock Island for treatment. Investigators said the assault had escalated far enough to turn a domestic call into a felony arrest in the Lower Keys.

The woman later told investigators that Easterday hit her and choked her. Easterday also allegedly admitted that he hit the woman during the altercation. He was booked on aggravated battery and domestic battery by strangulation charges, accusations that carry far more serious weight than a routine disturbance call because of the reported injuries and the claim that the victim lost consciousness.

The case stands out for its local specificity. It happened at a Cudjoe Key residence, in a community where a single violent incident can quickly ripple through a small neighborhood and add pressure to law enforcement, emergency medical care and the courts. For Monroe County deputies, it was another high-risk domestic violence case that required an immediate response and a hospital transport.

Public records show Easterday also had prior Monroe County booking history, including an April 27, 2025 booking for a probation violation. Those records do not determine the outcome of the new case, but they provide additional local court context as the latest arrest moves through the system.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office’s current-arrests page notes that people listed there have been arrested but not found guilty. It also directs the public to the Monroe County Clerk of Court and the 16th Judicial State Courts for case filings and court-date information.