Local

St. Augustine mom expected to survive, ex-boyfriend held without bond after alleged beating

A St. Augustine mother of two who authorities say was brutally attacked by her ex-boyfriend Friday is expected to survive, friends say.

Steven Dobish, 34, was denied bail in St. Johns County Circuit Court on Saturday morning.

Deputies say he dropped the woman off at the hospital after he allegedly beat her.

Close friends tell Action News Jax the mother of two was stabbed and nearly killed but is expected to survive.

“She’s still in ICU, but breathing on her own,” Kristin Hamilton, a close friend of the victim said. "Her mom and husband said she still has a long road to recovery, and she just needs prayers right now."

Court records show this isn’t the first time the woman was violently attacked by Dobish.

He was denied bail because he was out on bond for prior domestic violence charges, the judge said.

According to police reports, the victim told police Dobish tried to kill her with his bare hands several times in the past few months.

She also told police Dobish strangled her to the point where she began to lose consciousness.

A report says he jammed several fingers into her throat. And at one point, she told police he tried to smother her with a pillow.

She was able to escape then, but not Friday.

Investigators say Dobish brought the woman to the hospital after the attack and then returned to his home, where he was arrested for attempted murder.

Deputies surrounded the home for hours on Friday evening.

She was flown to UF Health Jacksonville for treatment after the attack.