A Leesburg man was arrested after allegedly battering a woman and forcing her inside his residence by her hair when she ordered an Uber.
On the morning of April 13, an officer with the Leesburg Police Department responded to a battery in the area of Bisby and Washington Streets, according to an affidavit of probable cause out of Lake County. Dispatch advised that the caller was yelling at someone to leave their house, and it seemed she was running. She later stated she had been struck by 32-year-old Kamonte Pearsall Phillips.
Upon arrival, the officer met with the victim. She stated that at about 10:30 a.m., she was ordering an Uber to leave Phillips’ residence, located at 301 S East St., Leesburg. When Phillips saw this, he told her she was not going anywhere, the affidavit said.
He then pulled her by her braids twice and struck her in the face with a closed fist. She was able to get away from him and stepped out of the residence. While she was outside wanting to leave, he grabbed her braids again to forcefully pull her back inside against her will, the affidavit said.
The victim tried to get out of Phillips’ grasp, while he continued to hit her and smash her head into a wall. She was eventually able to get out of his grasp again, leave the residence and run westbound on Washington Street. He chased after her and continued to strike her once he caught her, the affidavit said.
Her keychain, holding about five keys including her house keys, fell on the street. He grabbed them and ran back inside his residence. During this incident, he broke the chain to her purse worth $25, the affidavit said.
The officer observed several lacerations on the victim’s body. These included her lip, arm and neck area, which were consistent with the victim’s statement, the affidavit said.
During the interview, the victim explained she and Phillips had lived together in the past as a family unit from 2019-2020. She had originally been at his current residence under her own free will throughout the night. After a disagreement and trying to leave by ordering an Uber, his actions to keep her at the residence were against her will, the affidavit said.
A check of Phillips’ criminal history revealed no prior convictions for battery or theft. However, since November 2020, he had been charged twice with battery, one domestic by strangulation, false imprisonment and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, the affidavit said.
Phillips was ultimately arrested Monday afternoon on a warrant charging him with false imprisonment, domestic battery, petit theft and criminal mischief. He was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $13,000 bond.
The New York native was also arrested in Nov. 2021 for allegedly pointing a gun at a woman in a motel.