A Leesburg woman was arrested after allegedly attacking a neighbor with a broom handle.
Police responded to a battery complaint on Mara Court in Leesburg at 9:14 p.m. Friday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
Upon arrival, officers met with a witness and 41-year-old Monica Denise Felton. A crowd of about 60-75 people were in the roadway and surrounding residences, most of whom were yelling at Felton. She appeared to be the center of the disturbance, the report said.
The witness advised that Felton came across the street and kicked a female resident of another apartment in the leg, causing her to fall. Others who were present came to that women’s aid and helped her get back up. The witness also stated Felton came back with a knife and threatened the crowd with it, the report said.
The woman who was kicked stated she was walking in the roadway when she was struck in the right leg for an unknown reason, the report said.
However, Felton claimed there was no physical altercation involving her. She stated other people were involved in an altercation, and she only went over to try to separate the parties involved. Felton declined to provide a written statement attesting to this, the report said.
Several of the people involved appeared to be heavily intoxicated, the report said. Felton was talking loudly and shouting back and forth with several other females.
An incident report was generated for the incident, and officers left the scene, the report said.
Around two and a half hours later, officers were called back to the same location in reference to a large fight involving around 100 people. The officers canvassed the area for victims with no one coming forward at first, the report said.
They then found Felton, the report said. She was again talking loudly and had the unmistakable smell of alcohol on her person. She advised that she was hit by a bat but did not want to specify who hit her. She also denied medical treatment for a laceration on her left arm.
Felton retreated inside her residence and would no longer cooperate with law enforcement despite being the one who called them. She also stated that she did not trust law enforcement, the report said.
This led police to contact another victim, the report said. She was found at her residence holding an ice bag to the top left side of her head. Under the bag, she had a knot the size of a baseball over her left eyebrow.
The victim told police she was attacked by Felton, the report said. She was taken by EMS to UF Health-Leesburg Hospital prior to providing a sworn, written statement.
Three days later, the victim arrived at the Leesburg Police Department to explain what happened that day, the report said. She and friends were at her residence when Felton walked outside and began arguing with multiple people in the crowd again.
Felton then walked over and kicked the victim’s friend for no apparent reason, the report said. This was reported during the initial incident. The crowd began yelling at Felton. She later walked to her yard and grabbed a wooden stick, which was two inches in diameter and suspected to be a broom handle.
Felton walked back over and struck the victim in the head with it, the report said. After the victim fell to the ground, Felton continued to attack her. She pulled her hair and scratched her neck and chin.
The victim sustained a baseball-sized knot on the upper left top of her forehead, a swollen black and blue left eye, and multiple scratches on the right side of her neck. All of her injuries were documented with photographs on the night of the incident, the report said.
A check revealed that Felton was currently on felony probation for battery until March of next year, the report said. She was also arrested in December 2021 for attacking a neighbor in a dispute over loud music.
Felton was arrested and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. She was also charged for violating her probation. She was transported to the Lake County Jail with bond set at $10,000.
