A man and woman in Clermont were arrested for suspectedly neglecting a child who was taken to the hospital with a laceration on her arm.
A deputy responded to a possible domestic battery at an undisclosed Clermont apartment complex around 8:46 p.m. Monday, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
While enroute, the female complainant spoke with the Lake County Communications Center. She advised that while walking downstairs of a building, she witnessed 29-year-old Monaye Teanna Hylton shove 35-year-old Chaz Pannell outside of an apartment. Pannell was holding onto the victim, the report said.
Pannell then ran up to the complainant and asked her to call the police. She saw him strike Hylton in the head before both parties began exchanging strikes. The complainant fled the area at that point, the report said.
An additional call was received by a different complainant who was upstairs and could hear the commotion. She did not see the altercation, but she heard a male begging for a female not to stab “her,” the report said.
Deputies arrived at the complex and observed multiple blood splatters from the parking lot through the breezeway leading up to the front door of one of the units. They overheard a verbal argument from within the residence, at which time they knocked multiple times at the door but received no answer. One of the deputies went to the back of the unit and saw Pannell and Hylton through the crevice of the blinds, moving around, changing and shutting off all the lights, the report said.
The deputy continued to knock at their window and made multiple announcements that law enforcement was present and for them to come to the door. They were also informed that forced entry would be made if they failed to comply. Both subjects still refused to answer, the report said.
Forced entry was subsequently made at the front door, and they were detained following the investigation. Pannell was observed leaving the unit with the victim in his arms. The victim had a sock tied tightly around the top portion of her right arm. Pannell told a deputy that he had just arrived home and witnessed Hylton get into a verbal altercation with her ex-boyfriend. He claimed the victim received an injury during this altercation and had accidentally cut her arm, the report said.
Lake County Fire and Rescue Engine 112 was dispatched and removed the makeshift tourniquet, revealing an inch-long clean laceration to the victim’s arm likely from a blade. The cut appeared to be roughly a centimeter deep with steady bleeding. EMS dressed the wound and likely transported the victim to a hospital, the report said.
A deputy next spoke with Hylton who stated she had gotten into an argument with her ex-boyfriend. He punched her in the right eye and fled the area, leaving a minor laceration on the corner of her eyebrow. She claimed the injuries the victim sustained were from playing and falling off the bed. She became uncooperative with law enforcement and was placed in a patrol vehicle as a result, the report said.
While clearing the residence, units located multiple kitchen knives throughout the kitchen, one of which was snapped into three pieces. The handle and middle portion of the blade were found in the trash can, and the top was located on the kitchen floor. The knife and makeshift tourniquet were collected and placed into evidence, the report said.
Pannell’s mother then arrived on scene and asked where the other juveniles were. Deputies reentered the home and found two more juveniles who had been hiding from law enforcement. Pannell’s mother informed deputies that she got a text message from the oldest juvenile stating Pannell and Hylton had gotten into an argument resulting in the victim receiving a laceration, the report said.
One of the juveniles explained to deputies she had been asked her to lie and pin the battery on Hylton’s ex-boyfriend. The juvenile and Pannell’s mother both confirmed that her the ex-boyfriend was not present during the altercation that evening, the report said.
Pannell and Hylton were ultimately taken to Lake County Jail. Pannell was charged with resisting an officer without violence and domestic child neglect with great bodily harm, and his bond was set at $6,000. Hylton was charged with simple battery (domestic) and cruelty toward child aggravated child abuse, and her bond was set at $14,000.