Warring husband and wife of 18 years land in jail after brawl over cooking dinner

A Leesburg couple was arrested on separate battery charges after recounting the latest of many abusive incidents over the last 18 years to law enforcement.

An officer responded to the Leesburg Police Department, located at 115 E Magnolia Street, regarding a battery around 4:17 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 16, according to an arrest report from LPD. 

Upon the officer’s arrival, he was met by 34-year-old Jeffrey Miguel Almaraz. He advised that on Thursday, Jan. 12, he got in a verbal argument with 36-year-old Ladonna Michele Bergman over cooking dinner. The argument escalated, and she used a broom to strike Almaraz on the left side of his face which knocked him unconscious, the report said.  

Bergman also scratched his face during a later argument. Almaraz sustained visible bruising and scratching to his left eye and cheek, the report said. 

Almaraz further advised that he had struck Bergman in the past, and she has struck him, too. He stated they both had an issue with narcotics and had been abusing each other for 18 years, the report said. 

The officer then met Bergman at her residence. He observed her to have two black eyes with bruising around them that were healing at different rates. She first stated the bruises were nothing and that Almaraz did not cause them, leading the officer to explain he was investigating a battery, the report said. 

Bergman went on to advise of a separate battery one week prior to this incident, as she was certain her injuries occurred before Jan. 12. She confirmed Almaraz was at the residence that day but stated she had not hit him with a broom or anything else in the past week. She admitted to striking him with a broom in the past but denied hitting him with anything, including her hand, in the past week. She also confirmed that she had been abused by Almaraz for 18 years, the report said. 

As for the previous incident, Bergman advised that Almaraz threw her around the house by her hair, slammed her against the wall several times and punched her in the head and face about 15 times. She could not advise of a specific date or day of the week, the report said. 

Another officer subsequently met with Almaraz and his brother in the lobby interview room at the police department. He explained why he was there, but Almaraz denied striking the victim. He stated that if Bergman was injured, it was self-inflicted, the report said. 

Almaraz further advised that Bergman did have a bruise under her right eye the last time he saw her, which was the day before. He claimed the bruise under her eye happened during the incident on Jan. 12 where he stated he put his hands up to defend himself against her attacks, the report said. 

As there were no independent witnesses to any of the alleged battery incidents, Almaraz was placed under arrest. One of the officers stated earlier that the oldest of the pair’s five children was not going to be asked about the allegations because the child has lied to him in the past while investigating other claims of battery by the parties involved. DCF was called due to no one being available to care for the children while the pair was incarcerated, the report said. 

Almaraz was charged with domestic battery and transported to the Lake County Jail. His bond was set at $2,500. As for Bergman, she was arrested on charge of domestic aggravated battery (bodily harm). She was also taken to jail with bond set at $10,000.