A man and a woman were arrested after allegedly attacking someone near a Dairy Queen restaurant in Leesburg.
An officer responded to Dairy Queen, located at 609 N 14th St., when a third party witnessed an altercation around 7:35 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. The male victim advised that about six minutes prior, he was beaten and his bag was stolen by 23-year-old Matthew Lee Wiemer and 32-year-old Rachel Begeot in the field next to the restaurant.
The victim had visible injuries on his wrist, hands and forearms but refused to be examined by EMS. He went on to say that he first saw Wiemer and Begeot walking out of his campsite at the old railroad tracks off the bike trail. He asked the two if they had been there, to which Wiemer stated he was “going to die,” the report said.
Shortly after, Wiemer charged at the victim and threw a metal thermos at his back. He then threw the victim to the ground while striking him with closed fists multiple times. He eventually stopped hitting him and left the area, the report said.
The victim subsequently started moving his things from his camp to a nearby field. During this time, he again encountered Wiemer and Begeot who had a purple backpack that belonged to him in the field next to Dairy Queen. Seeing this, he exchanged words with Wiemer, which led to a physical confrontation started by Wiemer, the report said.
The victim was struck with closed fists multiple times and tried to defend himself. As the fight ended, he saw the woman leaving with his backpack as he pleaded with her to give it back to him. He claimed his backpack had been left at his camp as he was moving his other belongings, the report said.
Law enforcement was given an address on the woodline of 1610 Griffin Road for Wiemer and Begeot. The victim added that the stolen backpack contained miscellaneous clothing items valued at $125, the report said.
While searching the area for possible witnesses, officers met with the third party who saw the battery. He was sitting in his vehicle when he overheard a person yelling “get off me” before seeing the victim walking away from the bike path asking for someone to call law enforcement, the report said.
Another witness in the vehicle with the third party also heard someone say “don’t touch me” and “that’s my stuff.” She then saw three people out in an open field. One was leaving on a bicycle, and the other two seemed to be chasing after one another, the report said.
Wiemer were Begeot were found at 1620 Griffin Road on Sunday. They were both arrested and booked at the Lake County Jail.
Wiemer was also arrested in Dec. 2025 after shoplifting with drugs at Walmart and in Oct. 2021 for allegedly breaking decorative lights at the Venetian Center.