A Leesburg man was arrested for battery after smacking his ex-girlfriend’s phone out of her hand while she recorded an argument with their roommate.
An officer responded to a battery, later found to involve 74-year-old Leland Jeffery Basey, at an undisclosed Leesburg residence at 2:25 p.m. Monday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Dispatch advised that the female victim was heard saying, “He put his hands on me.”
Upon arrival, the officer met the victim in the front yard of the residence. She stated that before the officer got there, she was sitting in the residence when Basey, her ex-boyfriend whom she lived with, battered her, the report said.
The victim explained that Basey and another roommate were verbally arguing in the residence. She was recording the argument on her cell phone. As the argument came to an end, he turned toward her and struck her arm, causing her cell phone to fall from her grip, the report said.
The victim advised that she and Basey had dated for about seven years, but they were no longer together. They lived together within the residence for about three years, making the incident domestic in nature, the report said.
The officer then watched the recording on the victim’s phone. In the video, he saw Basey verbally arguing with a male inside the residence. When the argument finished, Basey turned toward the victim, approached her and hit her phone from her hand, the report said.
The roommate Basey argued with advised that he “saw Basey swing his hand, hitting the victim’s hand and knocking her phone to the ground,” the report said.
While speaking with Basey, he told the officer he had been drinking and finally had “the balls” to confront his roommate. When the verbal argument ended, he turned around, and the victim stated, “I’m going to send you to jail.” He then slapped her phone but denied ever touching her, the report said.
Basey was arrested on charge of simple battery (domestic) and transported to Lake County Jail. The Mississippi native was released after posting $1,000 bond.