East Arlington man in custody after girlfriend shot in thigh, forced to smoke cocaine

An East Arlington man is behind bars after his girlfriend tells police he shot her in the thigh and was forced to smoke cocaine at gunpoint.

As of this morning, 49-year-old Michael Joseph Nilio is held on $250,009 bond at Duval County Jail following his arrest on Saturday. He's been charged with aggravated battery, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and false imprisonment.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office says Nilio's 53-year-old girlfriend called 911 for help, claiming she had been forced to stay in his Crystal Branch Court home against her will for several hours.

Per the report, she told officers she had been made to disrobe and had a handgun barrel pressed against her head and neck several times while being told she was going to be shot.

After she gave JSO a description of Nilio's vehicle, officers pulled his black Dodge Ram over near I-295 and Monument Road, finding Nilio behind the wheel.

Investigators say Nilio refused to let police search his vehicle, but officers did see a gun barrel in plain sight under the rear of a passenger seat.

When questioned, Nilio claimed another man had shot his girlfriend and that it was a set-up. He did admit to taking the gun at that man's request and had planned to give that gun to the FBI, according to his statement to police.

The arrest report notes that Nilio was convicted of burglary in Florida back in 2010. It did not go into the victim's health condition.

His next court date is scheduled for March 21st.