A Lake County woman was arrested for battery when she could not give a straight answer about her manfriend’s bloody lip.
A deputy responded to an abandoned 911 call at the Santa Rosa Commerce Center, located at 25010 U.S. Hwy. 27, Leesburg, around 7:25 a.m., Dec. 20, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Upon arrival, he found 32-year-old Storme Winn and her male companion standing near two vehicles in the front parking lot.
When asked if they were okay, the companion stated someone called 911 after seeing them arguing. But he claimed Winn was just getting her things from the vehicle. At this point, the deputy noticed a swollen cut with fresh blood on his lower lip, which he claimed was nothing and became evasive. He repeatedly tried getting closer to Winn during this conversation, forcing the deputy to demand they stay separate multiple times, the report said.
Winn, who initially gave a different name, then advised that she did not know who called. She stated her companion’s lip injury came from him drinking and falling, yet she had a fresh red mark on the inside of her lower lip, too. She was ultimately uncooperative with giving her full name and ID, refusing to give her last name at all, the report said.
Her companion became increasingly non-compliant to the point the deputy tried to handcuff him. He resisted and pulled his arms away until eventually being detained in a patrol vehicle, the report said.
He also continued to deny any domestic violence had happened and said the injuries were from “hanging out.” When pressed about it, he stated they had a disagreement about “females” but insisted it was nothing serious. He explained they had driven from Leesburg in his work van to retrieve items from his Dodge Challenger he had parked at the commerce center, as well, the report said.
Winn added that they had been staying at a hotel in Leesburg and were asked to leave due to her companion’s loud behavior. While there, a random male guest got involved in an argument, and her companion accused her of performing a sexual act with this stranger. She denied any infidelity, the report said.
She claimed both lip injuries happened at the Leesburg hotel when they accidentally collided while going upstairs after he had been drinking. She stated Leesburg Police officers were there at the hotel and had seen both injuries at the time, the report said.
However, a call to the Leesburg Police Department contradicted Winn’s statement. Officers did indeed respond to a disturbance at a hotel involving the two earlier that morning, but they had not seen any injuries on either of them, the report said.
Based on the evidence and the inability to determine a primary aggressor, both Winn and her companion were arrested for domestic battery. The former continued to lie about her name until she arrived at Lake County Jail for booking, where she clarified she had been using her middle name as her first, the report said.
A check of her criminal history revealed she had been arrested in Groveland 15 days prior on Dec. 5 for simple battery, although the case was no longer active. She and her companion had no prior convictions for battery related charges, the report said.
Winn was charged with simple battery (domestic) and resist officer (obstruct by disguised person). The native of Canada was released from jail on her own recognizance and is responsible for appearing in court on Jan. 7.