A Leesburg woman was arrested after backhanding her 72-year-old roommate during an argument in the front yard of their residence.
On the morning of Feb. 5, a male victim requested information regarding evicting a roommate, later identified as 51-year-old Sandy Michelle Olsen, from his residence in Leesburg, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
The victim alluded to a previous battery but did not have recollection if it was reported due to his memory issues. He was 72 years of age at the time of his report. He returned a short time later with assistance from his landlord and requested a report be filed for battery. An officer responded to the undisclosed residence to complete a thorough investigation, the report said.
The victim explained that Olsen had been residing at his residence for about five months. He advised the agreement was not domestic but was that of a roommate agreement between the two parties. He also stated that Olsen had been angry and violent toward him throughout her stay, the report said.
The original report documented that on Feb. 2, the victim and Olsen got into an argument while driving near the residence. He got out of the car and walked back home while Olsen returned in the vehicle. As she walked back up to the house, he got his keys from the vehicle, the report said.
Olsen approached the victim, and an argument ensued in the front yard. She struck him in the face with the backside of her hand, causing a small laceration on the bridge of his nose from the glasses he was wearing. He then walked to the park office to seek help from the manager, the report said.
The officer interviewed the manager who advised that she was in the office around 2:00 p.m. when she heard the two parties arguing in front of their residence. She saw the victim move backwardly rapidly, describing it as he “jumped back.” He then immediately turned and walked toward her, the report said.
When the victim walked up, the manager noticed he was bleeding from the bridge of his nose, and she helped him. She specified that she did not see the strike, but she knew of prior incidents where Olsen had struck the victim, the report said.
After speaking with the manager, the officer spoke with Olsen at the residence. She claimed that a relationship did exist between her and the victim, but it did not work out. She denied the battery and stated she had not been around the victim since Jan. 30, the report said.
Olsen further stated that was when she was contacted by the landlord and told that she should be leaving the property. She said the next contact she had with the victim was on Feb. 3 when she returned to the residence, the report said.
The report was forwarded to the Criminal Investigations Division of LPD for further review. An officer looked over evidentiary photos taken of the victim, during which he saw the injury on his nose corroborated the statement he gave regarding the incident. The injury matched based on severity and healing time since the incident, the report said.
The officer separately contacted both the victim and the manager, both of which reiterated their statements. However, the manager clarified that when she said the victim “jumped back,” it appeared to be indicative of being struck and falling backward. She also specified that Olsen and the victim were the only two involved in the altercation, and the injury on the victim was fresh from an incident that had obviously just happened, the report said.
The manager further explained that she spoke to the victim about 10 minutes before the incident, at which time he was uninjured. He told her then that Olsen was bothering him, and he was afraid of her. Although she did not see the strike, it was obvious to her that he had been hit by Olsen based on the context of the altercation and his injuries.
Additionally, the manager received multiple complaints from other residents about this issue. According to other residents, she stated that Olsen was often violent toward the victim, the report said.
The officer then tried speaking with Olsen due to a discrepancy in her original statement. She claimed to have not been at the residence from Jan. 30 through Feb. 3, yet the victim and witness testimony proved that to be false. Still, the officer was unable to make contact with anyone at the residence and did not get a response when he reached out over the phone, the report said.
Olsen was ultimately arrested Tuesday evening and charged with simple battery (victim 65 years of age or older). She was transported to the Lake County Jail to be held without bond.
