A Fruitland Park man was arrested on battery charges after allegedly getting into a verbal and physical fight with his daughter and her husband.
An officer responded to an undisclosed residence regarding a domestic disturbance in progress around 4:41 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department. Upon arrival, the complainant pointed out the residence where the incident happened. The officer met with the individuals at the residence, all of which appeared visibly upset.
The officer separated the parties and first spoke to a female witness who advised that her husband, 44-year-old Jesse Wakiza Spencer, became upset with her son over car parts. She heard Spencer yelling and cursing at him and then heard Spencer’s daughter yelling back to defend the witness’s son. She heard a scuffle and walked in on Spencer and his daughter’s husband engaging in a physical altercation, the report said.
The witness tried to separate the parties with Spencer’s son-in-law leaving the residence. Spencer followed him, and another altercation ensued before Spencer left in his vehicle, the report said.
The officer next talked to Spencer’s daughter. She advised that Spencer was becoming loud and disrespectful to her brother, causing her to become upset with the way he was speaking. Spencer got angry with her for what she said to him and began stepping toward her with his finger pointed in her face, the report said.
Her husband came around the corner and saw Spencer becoming physical with her, so he got in between the two to protect her. This turned into a shoving match. She was able to get the two parties separated, so she went outside with her husband, the report said.
Spencer followed them with a stool. He pushed his daughter’s arm to get her out of the way so he could attack her husband. This did not work, and he resorted to using the stool to strike her instead, the report said.
The witness’s son was able to get Spencer to leave the residence. Spencer ultimately got into his vehicle and began driving toward the road. He then drove the opposite direction back into the yard in an attempt to hit his daughter and her husband with the vehicle. They got out of the way before he could do so, and he drove off, the report said.
The officer proceeded to interview Spencer’s son-in-law who advised that he was in the kitchen when Spencer started a verbal argument with the witness’s son, the report said. His wife did not like this and tried to intervene. He left the room and heard Spencer yell, “You have no say!”
He reentered the kitchen and observed Spencer step toward his wife in an aggressive manner. In an attempt to defend her, he placed himself in the middle of the two and pushed Spencer away out of self-defense. He then went outside to separate himself from the situation, the report said.
Spencer came outside after him, yelling. He grabbed a lawn ornament from the ground and threw it in his son-in-law’s direction while he stood on the other side of his truck. The lawn ornament struck the truck right in front of him, causing it to shatter. The glass struck him and lacerated his hand, the report said.
Spencer then grabbed a stool and threw it at his son-in-law and his wife. Spencer entered his vehicle and began to drive off, but he turned the opposite direction and drove toward the two, seemingly to strike them, the report said.
The officer observed the son-in-law to have a visibly bleeding laceration to his hand. He also noticed redness around his shoulder area and arms, but medical attention was declined, the report said.
Meanwhile, another officer met with the male complainant. He advised that he saw Spencer being physically and verbally aggressive toward his own daughter in the front yard of the residence. He swore at her and threw objects at her, the report said.
The complainant also observed Spencer take a swing at her with his fist and push her. She tried to defend herself with a chair. The son of Spencer’s wife tried to hold onto Spencer to keep him from being aggressive any further but failed to do so. Spencer left the home before the officers arrived, the report said.
Spencer was spoken to last at the police department due to the son of his wife denying having seen anything. Upon his arrival, it appeared as though he was intoxicated as a strong odor of alcoholic beverage was coming from his breath that grew stronger as he spoke. He also had slurred speech, rapid mood swings and was belligerent at times, the report said.
Spencer told an officer he was attacked by his son-in-law because he did not like the way he spoke to his child. His son-in-law struck him with his fist and left the residence. He admitted to going after him with a stool to defend himself despite acknowledging that his son-in-law left the residence to get away from the situation, the report said.
Spencer continued, saying he threw a stool, beer bottles and other unknown objects at his son-in-law while denying becoming physically aggressive with his daughter. He did not remember much of what happened due to having amnesia. However, he also admitted to driving the vehicle in the opposite direction of the road toward his daughter and son-in-law. He said this was to “yell at them,” not to strike them. His account of the situation was hard to follow, as he changed some details multiple times, the report said.
The officer observed Spencer to have multiple lacerations to his hand. He could not advise was his son-in-law struck him with but denied medical attention. The officer also noticed several bruises throughout Spencer’s body, although it appeared as though they were not fresh injuries based on the advanced coloring of the bruises, the report said.
The report noted that Spencer’s daughter was related to him by blood and his son-in-law by marriage. All three of them lived together for about four years as a family unit.
Spencer was ultimately arrested on two counts of aggravated battery (domestic) and two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon without intent to kill (domestic). He was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $14,000 bond.