A Leesburg woman was arrested on charge of battery after allegedly attacking her girlfriend who came home from a night out with friends.
Officers responded to a battery at an undisclosed Lake County residence around 10:42 p.m. April 12, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. The Communications Division of LPD received a call from the victim advising her girlfriend, later identified as 26-year-old Taylor Alyssa Cunningham, had put hands on her.
Upon the officers’ arrival, they met with the victim. She reiterated that she had been in an altercation with her girlfriend who she had been dating for about six months and living with for about four months. A verbal altercation began due to a previous incident from earlier that day in Eustis, the report said.
After the earlier incident, Cunningham left that location and went out drinking with her friend. When she returned home where the victim was, Cunningham told her that her ankle was hurting. The victim told her to go take a shower, the report said.
Cunningham became upset with the victim as she took a shower. She then began to attack the victim and destroy items in the residence. During the altercation, Cunningham tried to throw a candle at the victim, but it did not make contact with her, the report said.
Cunningham also tried to strike the victim in the face and pulled her hair. The report noted that while speaking with the victim, officers observed fresh scratch marks on her right arm. After the altercation, the victim called her mother who told her to contact law enforcement.
After speaking with the victim, the officers went to talk to Cunningham outside the front door of the residence. They opened the door, but she closed it to hide the apartment’s disarray from the altercation, the report said.
Cunningham advised she had been in a verbal argument with the victim about her own infidelity. She stated multiple times that the altercation was only verbal and did not become physical. However, officers observed multiple injuries to her eye, mouth and fingernails, the report said.
When questioned about these injuries, Cunningham stated that she had fallen over the railing when she was out drinking with her friends. She also advised that she had broken her fingernails at work. She was asked about her injuries again later at which point she changed her statement to say she broke her fingernails when she had fallen with her friends. She continuously advised nothing physical had occurred between her and the victim, the report said.
Officers ultimately arrested Cunningham and placed her in the backseat of a patrol car. While transporting her to LPD for booking paperwork, she advised multiple times that she “didn’t do anything.” She continued to say this once at the department along with stating that she had all the injuries, the report said.
Cunningham was charged with simple battery (domestic). She was taken to Lake County Jail and released after posting $1,000 bond.
