A Leesburg man sought for battering a woman earlier this month was arrested Sunday evening.
Jamil Kenyatta Rimes, 41, was charged with simple battery with one prior conviction for an incident that occurred June 3 at Oak Grove Apartments, located at 211 Church St., according to an affidavit of probable cause out of Lake County.
The victim sought help from the Salvation Army, located at 2605 South St., while she hid in different locations from Rimes. She waited until June 5 to report the incident out of fear that Rimes would find her, the affidavit said.
The victim told officers she and Rimes had been acquaintances for about two months and met through friends they had in common. She believed Rimes was a drug dealer in the area of Crosby and Main streets. Rimes thought the victim was informing Leesburg police of recent drug activities in that area, the affidavit said.
The victim said prior to the incident, Rimes promised to kill her for talking to officers. He followed her to a store and brandished a firearm, saying “I’m gonna get you,” according to the affidavit.
At around 4:30 p.m. on the day of the incident, the victim was waiting for a friend to pick her up at the entrance to the apartments. As she waited, Rimes arrived in a dark gray Cadillac sedan. He got out of the vehicle and started to yell at the victim about her informing police about his illegal actives, the affidavit said.
Rimes grabbed the victim by the throat and threw her onto the ground. He grabbed her again by the back of her shirt, dragged her to the ground and spat on her. The victim stood up and ran from Rimes, who then drove away from the scene, the affidavit said.
Officers did not observe any injuries on the victim when they interviewed her. She said she didn’t have visible injuries but complained of soreness from the battery, the affidavit said.
Rimes was arrested by Leesburg police on Sunday and taken to the Lake County Jail. A prior battery conviction from June 2010 increased the charge to simple battery with one prior conviction. He was released after posting $2,000 bond.
