A Leesburg man was arrested for stalking after driving by the home of his children’s mother and trying to intimidate her by revving the engine.
A deputy responded to a verbal dispute involving 37-year-old Victor Antonio Garcia at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Upon arrival, the deputy met with Garcia’s partner, who was the mother of his children and with whom he had been in a relationship for six years. She left her primary residence in Leesburg earlier in the morning with her two children and went to a family member’s place for safety, the report said.
The partner explained Garcia came to her residence and started banging on the front door. He yelled and demanded to say goodnight to the children, which felt threatening to herself and them. He then left the area in his vehicle, revving the engine as he went, the report said.
She also described an incident from Friday wherein she called law enforcement. During an argument about finances and text messages, he tried to break her phone in half. When she tried to get it back to call the police, he threw it into the neighboring yard. He also yanked the internet cable from the wall when she tried to use an Amazon Alexa Echo to call 911, the report said.
The partner stated Garcia had been discarding some of her personal belongings and had tried to harm her pets in retaliation, as well. He was then formally trespassed from her residence, the report said.
However, the deputies returned to the residence Sunday evening due to Garcia showing up again. The partner stated he did not try to enter the property, but he drove up and down the road in front of the residence multiple times. He revved the engine in an intimidating manner, and she believed this was to harass and provoke her, the report said.
Garcia had also texted and made social media posts about her, which were derogatory about her without cause. She stated these posts were meant to harass, embarrass and cause emotional distress, the report said.
The New Jersey native was subsequently arrested on charges of tampering with a witness (deprivation of 911 – domestic) and stalking (domestic). He was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $8,500 bond.