A man has been charged with attempting to run down a woman who was walking her dog in Leesburg.
Robert Allen Whittington, 46, of Eustis, was arrested this past week on a warrant charging him with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Lake County sheriff’s deputy were contacted by the woman on Feb. 14. She said was walking her dog around 5:30 p.m. when a car driven by Whittington nearly ran her down. She said he revved the engine and accelerated toward her. She had to jump into the bushes which lined the side of the road to avoid be run down.
When she got out of the bushes, she used her phone to record a video of Whittington as he turned around and called out that his gas pedal got stuck and then he drove away at a high speed. She has had disputes with Whittington in the past and was convinced that he was trying to hit her, according to an affidavit of probable cause from the sheriff’s office.
Deputies were unable to locate Whittington that day, but were able to determine that the plates on the vehicle belonged to a trailer owned by another person. They also found that Whittington’s license has been revoked since 2002. The records check also revealed that he was on probation for breaking into a woman’s apartment through a window and stealing $50 of food.
The Maryland native was taken into custody by the Leesburg police Tuesday at the probation office. He was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon as well as a probation violation. He is being held with no bond set.
In 2021, Whittington was airlifted from a crash scene when he lost control of a vehicle while fleeing the police. He had been charged with an aggravated domestic battery and fleeing to elude the police in that case.
