A Leesburg man was arrested for battering his wife after he allegedly choked her for hiding his keys while he was drunk.
Officers responded to an undisclosed Lake County address regarding a 911 hangup call in the area Thursday afternoon, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. As officers were on the way, contact was made with a phone number that called law enforcement. The complainant stated her neighbor had been in a disturbance and was waiting for police at her residence.
Upon arrival, the officers met with the complainant who stated the person who needed law enforcement was inside of the residence. Contact was then made with a female victim, the wife of 75-year-old Donald Lynn Rand, the report said.
In an interview, the victim stated that she and Rand had been arguing throughout the day. Rand had an alcoholic drink in his hand as he was looking for the keys to their vehicle. She did not want him driving after he had drunk alcohol, so she hid the keys, the report said.
Rand then confronted the victim regarding the hidden keys. He became irate and choked her by placing both of his hands around her neck. The victim advised that this action had happened in the past, and she defended herself by pushing him enough to get him off her. She then left the residence and went to the complainant’s residence who contacted law enforcement for her, the report said.
The victim explained that she did not lose consciousness and could still breathe as Rand’s hands were around her neck. One of the officers did not observe any marks or scratches around the victim’s neck, but the front area was red. The victim stated she did not need attention from Lake EMS, the report said.
Two digital photographs were later taken of the victim and placed into evidence at LPD. The victim did not want to provide a sworn written statement attesting to her account but swore that her verbal statement was true to the best of her knowledge. Also, she stated that she and Rand had been married and lived together for over 50 years, the report said.
Officers then responded to the victim and Rand’s residence in Leesburg to meet with him, the report said. As they were walking up to the residence, Rand walked out the front of the residence and immediately stated, “It was in self-defense.”
Rand advised that he and the victim had marital issues, and the argument from that day were from those. They had gotten into an argument regarding her hiding his car keys. As he approached the victim and confronted her about the location of the keys, he grabbed her around her neck in frustration. She then pushed him off, and he did not follow her out of the residence, the report said.
Rand was ultimately arrested on charge of simple battery (domestic). He was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $1,000 bond.
