A Leesburg woman was arrested on a domestic battery charge last week after admitting she scratched her live-in boyfriend during a dispute at the Rodeway Inn.
A Leesburg Police officer responded early Friday morning to a 911 hang-up call at the motel, located at 1115 North Blvd. Officers had already been to the hotel earlier in the evening in response to a domestic disturbance between the two parties, according to the police report.
Upon arrival, the officer heard indistinct yelling coming from within the room. Then there was a loud noise that sound like something being thrown against the inside of the door. The officer knocked on the door and it was answered by the victim, who said he and his lady friend – 23-year-old Ashari Tariell Williams – had been “getting into it,” the report said.
While the officer was talking with the victim, Williams was sitting on the bed inside the room and continuing to yell at the victim. The victim was removed from the room in order to diffuse the situation, according to the report.
Asked what had caused the loud noise that the deputy heard, the victim said Williams had thrown her phone against the door, cracking the screen in the process. Williams confirmed it, saying she “didn’t care about the phone anyway,” the report said.
The officer observed four distinct scratches to the victim’s left forearm. The scratches were consistent with fingernail scratches. The victim said scratches happened when Williams grabbed his arm while he was reaching for the cell phone so he could call his brother, according to the report.
Upon hearing the victim’s story, Williams said, “Yeah, I grabbed him, but that’s all I did. I have long nails.” The officer determined the 911 call was made accidentally during the struggle for the phone. Williams and the victim have been romantically involved and lived together for about four years, the report said.
Williams was taken to the Lake County Jail, where she was released later Friday on $1,000 bond. She will appear in Lake County Court on March 10.
