An Orlando man with a criminal record was caught with a stolen firearm after police arrested him on a battery charge.
Police responded to a residence in Leesburg at around 10:53 a.m. Monday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. The caller explained she heard a woman crying inside the residence.
When an officer arrived at the home, he was met by 24-year-old Eddie Lee Parks as he came out the front door. Parks advised he got into a physical altercation with his friend, who was currently inside the house. He also stated he was not injured during the argument and did not want to cooperate by providing more details, the report said.
After speaking to Parks, the officer entered the home and spoke to a female victim. She was hesitant to talk about the altercation and explained that she was OK. The officer did not immediately notice any injuries, and the victim refused EMS, the report said.
The officer gave both the victim and Parks advice and suggested it would be best if Parks left to avoid further conflict, the report said.
Once Parks left, the victim told the officer she was scared to talk about what happened while Parks was still there. She advised that during a disagreement with him, he made many threats to hurt her, the report said.
Parks allegedly dragged her around the house while choking her by the neck but not causing her to stop breathing, the report said. The victim explained she tried to pull his hair to get him to stop, but Parks bit her hand and shoved her into the front glass window causing it to break.
The victim then revealed an injury on her right hand, the report said. It appeared to be a bite mark caused by human teeth. She also showed him nail indents in the skin on the back of her neck. The officer observed a broken window with glass on the floor, which matched the victim’s statements.
Later that day, the officer got a call advising that Parks was back at the residence. He was placed under arrest when the officer arrived back at the scene, the report said.
Parks was carrying a blue fanny pack at the time of his arrest, the report said. While searching it, the officer found a concealed Taurus G2C 9mm handgun. The gun had a full magazine of 17 rounds and one round in the chamber.
The officer later learned the firearm was stolen and that Parks was a convicted felon, the report said. As such, he was charged with theft of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of ammo by a convicted felon.
Parks was also charged with carrying a concealed firearm and battery. He was transported to the Lake County Jail with bond set at $26,000.
