Leesburg woman arrested after allegedly punching man who recently had back surgery

A Leesburg woman was arrested for punching a man where he just had surgery and lighting an envelope on fire before she left the altercation.

A deputy responded to a battery complaint involving 57-year-old Kimberly Sue Cunningham at an undisclosed Leesburg residence around 3:57 p.m. March 14, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. 

Upon arrival, the deputy met with the victim on the back porch of his residence. He noticed that it appeared difficult for the victim to move around, so he asked if he needed medical attention. He stated he did which prompted the deputy to radio for emergency medical services, the report said. 

The victim explained that he had a very large amount of pain in his back. He had just had his sixth back surgery a week before this incident in which he and Cunningham got into a verbal argument. She allegedly punched him with a closed fist twice in his back where the procedure was just performed. The victim hit her back to defend himself, the report said. 

Cunningham then threw things on the floor in a fit of rage. She went to leave the residence, shoving the victim as she did so. Before departing, she lit a large envelope of paperwork on fire on the counter in the house. The victim found it and extinguished it before anything else caught on fire, the report said. 

The victim further advised that he and Cunningham fight constantly. When asked where she could have gone, he told law enforcement a neighbor’s house at the opposite end of the same street, the report said. 

Once assessed by EMS, the victim was transported to the hospital. The deputy responded to the neighbor’s house in attempts to locate Cunningham, and she was indeed found inside. She came out when asked to come speak with deputies, the report said. 

Cunningham smelled of alcohol as she spoke but denied anything physical. She claimed that the argument was verbal only, and all she tried to do was leave. She stated the argument started over her getting mad about his medication not being refilled. She did admit to throwing items off the counter onto the floor but denied ever setting anything on fire, the report said. 

The report noted that there was an extensive history of domestic calls involving Cunningham and the victim. A prior battery conviction query was run with negative results. Still, Cunningham was determined to be the primary aggressor in this case. 

The Connecticut native was subsequently arrested on charges of simple battery (domestic) and arson. She was transported to the Lake County Jail with bond set at $15,000.