A Leesburg woman was arrested after allegedly threatening her housemate with a baseball bat and stealing her things when she fled their residence.
Dispatchers got a call from a woman hiding in a bedroom at an undisclosed Leesburg residence around 3:45 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Maritza Marquez, 42, lived on the other side of their shared home but was armed with a baseball bat, upset about the housemate having a conversation with her boyfriend.
The housemate was able to get out of the residence and waited outside for law enforcement who found Marquez leaving the area on a bicycle. During the investigation that followed, officers learned the incident started Wednesday afternoon when Marquez broke through the door that separated her living area from that of the housemate.
She proceeded to break the housemate’s things with the baseball bat while screaming for her to leave the residence. The housemate tried to close a partition door to separate herself from Marquez as she swung the bat. She continued to hit the door until she intentionally struck the housemate’s right hand, leaving a cut bleeding on her knuckle and stopping her from closing the door, the report said.
The housemate then ran into the witness’s room and closed the door. Marquez continued threatening her and tried to break into the room. She told the housemate that if she did not leave the residence, she was going to leave in a body bag, the report said.
Fearing for her life, the housemate escaped from the room through the window and fled. The witness advised that once she learned this, Marquez started taking the housemate’s things and stated they now belonged to her, the report said.
The housemate came back Thursday afternoon to find most of her belongings had been stolen from the residence. Her clothes, bed, makeup and some other items were missing. She estimated about $300 to $500 of her things were gone, the report said.
Marquez was ultimately arrested on charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and petit theft. The Ohio native was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $7,500 bond.