A Leesburg woman with two prior battery arrests was jailed after she reportedly entered an apartment and used a knife to threaten the lives of a man and woman who had been showering together.
The victims told a Leesburg police officer they had never met 19-year-old Jayla L. Tart before the incident, which happened around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday at their residence on Birchwood Court. When the officers arrived, the man and woman were fleeing through the front door soaking wet. They frantically said a woman was in their living room with a kitchen knife and they were unsure how she broke in, according to the police report.
The officer made contact with the woman – later identified as Tart, who also lives on Birchwood Court – through the doorway. Tart was sitting on the couch yelling obscenities at the officer while clutching the knife with both hands. After several minutes, Tart finally complied and threw the knife away as instructed, the report said.
Officers then converged on Tart and tried to take her into custody, but she refused to be detained willingly. She was brought to the ground, where she reportedly kicked and struck at officers. Tart refused to allow her hands to be placed behind her back and was even reaching for items to hit the officers with. Once backup officers arrived, Tart had to be physically carried to the patrol car. At the Lake County Jail, Tart continued to resist by refusing to come out of the back of the car. She was forcibly removed and placed in a restraint chair, according to the report.
After Tart was taken to jail, the victims told the officer they were showering together when they heard their dog barking in the living room, which was unusual. The male victim got out of the shower to see what was going on and did not see anybody. When he walked back inside, he saw the bedroom door move. The male victim looked behind the door and saw Tart standing there holding a kitchen knife she had picked up in the kitchen, the report said.
The victims tried to plea for their safety by offering Tart food. Tart ignored the offer and started threatening them with the knife, saying “I’ll kill you, after slicing your throat.” The couple called 911 from another locked room and eventually ran out of the house to meet with officers, according to the report.
Both victims said they had never met Tart before. They said the front door was unlocked because they had taken their dog for a walk when they woke up, the report said.
Tart was charged with assault with intent to commit a felony, resisting an officer with violence, and armed burglary of a dwelling. She was previously charged with domestic battery in February 2021 and again in June 2021.
Tart is being held on $35,000 bond and is due to appear in Lake County Court on June 27.
