A Leesburg man was arrested after allegedly punching three women because they were playing music while he was tired.
An officer responded to a battery at an undisclosed Leesburg residence around 10:43 p.m. Sept. 20, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Upon arrival, he met with three female victims in the front yard of the residence. They identified 34-year-old Zerald Maurice Henderson as the perpetrator who was still inside the residence.
Two officers tried to find Henderson inside the residence but were unsuccessful. It was later discovered that he left through an open window within a locked bedroom, the report said.
The first victim advised that she was inside the residence visiting her sister-in-law when Henderson arrived home. She, her sister-in-law and her niece were in the dining room listening to music when he came in and went upstairs to take a shower. He came back down after showering but seemed angry, the report said.
Henderson then snatched the radio, took it outside and came back in without it. The first victim tried to ask him what was wrong, to which he stated he was tired and began yelling. She then began to gather her children and tried to leave the residence, the report said.
Henderson stood in front of the first victim while her sister-in-law and niece stood behind her. He then started to get aggressive toward the other two victims while the first tried to calm him down. He instead threw a punch in the direction of her sister-in-law, striking her in the face, the report said.
Henderson threw another punch and struck the victim’s niece about the shoulder. He then pushed the first victim, causing all three victims to fall to the ground. Everyone stood up, and the first victim tried to calm him down again. He responded by punching a wall, going into a bedroom and locking the door behind him, the report said.
The second victim, who was the first’s sister-in-law and the former girlfriend of Henderson, did not wish to speak with the officer. They shared a child in common and lived together in the same household, making the incident domestic in nature. While speaking with the first and third victims, the second victim made several spontaneous utterances to her family members that Henderson punched her jaw, the report said.
The third victim advised that she was at the residence with her mom, or the second victim, and her aunt, or the first victim, listening to music when Henderson got there. He came into the residence, “snatched” the speaker and broke it outside. He then came back in and began screaming at everyone, the report said.
The second victim asked Henderson why he was yelling, to which he punched her and the other two victims. The third victim was struck on the right shoulder. After the altercation, he punched a hole in the wall and locked himself in a bedroom, the report said.
During the investigation, the officer observed no physical injuries on the first or third victim. He was unable to see injuries to the second victim as she was unwilling to cooperate. He did observe various items to be disturbed within the residence, damage to a wall and a speaker located in the front yard that was broken as if it was thrown to the ground. These observations were consistent with the first and third victims’ accounts of the incident, the report said.
Henderson was later found nearby and arrested on charges of simple battery (domestic) and two counts of simple battery. He was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $7,000 bond.
