A Leesburg woman used a knife to defend herself from an intruder who barged into her home.
Leesburg police officers made contact with the woman and her mother Dec. 29 shortly after the man they identified as 27-year-old Tevin J. Merkson fled from their residence .
The woman told the officers that Merkson had come to the residence and pounded on the front door demanding to see the woman. Her mother opened the door and the man ordered the woman to come downstairs with him. When she refused, he grabbed her and began dragging her down the stairs, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
The woman told the police that she pulled out a knife to defend herself. When she brandished the knife he let go of her and grabbed a white chair which he threw at her as he was running. The woman chased him out of the residence and used her knife to puncture two of the tires on the man’s vehicle before he drove off.
The victim showed the officers her bruised right wrist which she said resulted when he tried to pull her down the steps. The woman’s mother verified her daughter’s account of what had occurred .
The police department’s communication center notified the officers on the scene that Merkson was wanted on an outstanding warrant for domestic battery. A Leesburg officer found Merkson at a nearby business as he was attempting to change a tire on his vehicle. When the officer tried to talk to Merkson, he ran away and hid in nearby bushes. He finally gave up when more officers arrived.
Merkson was booked at the Leesburg Police Department for domestic battery. He was taken to the Lake County Jail where he posted $7,000 bond.
