A Clermont man was arrested for battery after allegedly dragging his wife out of their home during an argument.
Alejandro Jesus Pacheco, 31, and his wife went out on a date to Roasted Spirit, located at 756 W Montrose St., on Friday, May 15, according to an arrest report from the Clermont Police Department. While there, he told a joke that did not sit right with her, so she left the bar and went to a local bookstore.
She ultimately tried to contact him multiple times because they soon had to go pick up their children. Once he answered, she was mad enough to raise her voice but not yell. Pacheco, however, was yelling, the report said.
In their vehicle, he sat in the driver’s seat until his wife told him to get out. He did so, and she drove home while he walked. She later told law enforcement that he was not intoxicated, but he was not his normal self. She described it as a weird, off day for him, the report said.
Pacheco still got home before they had to leave to pick up their children from school. He kept arguing, and his wife stated she did not want the back-and-forth yelling. He then called their friend to see if they could pick up their children from school as he continued yelling at her, the report said.
She eventually shut down, crying and hyperventilating, while he got in her face “drill sergeant style.” She dropped into a fetal position and cried, just wanting to get their children. She then told Pacheco that she would not be there when he got back with the kids, the report said.
She meant that she was going to go shopping or something to let things cool down, but he took it in a way that escalated things. While he “intensified,” she froze. He began to scream at her to get in the car, which she believed was because he did not want to leave her in the house alone, the report said.
Pacheco tried to drag his wife when she told him that she did not want to, and she wanted the “intensity” to stop. The drag was described as an underhook, where he picked her up to his level. During this time, she went “deadweight” and dropped on her right side onto a baby gate. She was sore but sustained no bruising or marks from this, the report said.
The two then went and picked up their children from school. Pacheco stayed the weekend at the house but slept in the basement. In the following days, the wife tried to stay out and do stuff in public. On Monday, she told her sister and realized that the events were not right. Her sister and husband came to her house and helped ask Pacheco to leave, the report said.
After informing the police of this incident, officers met with Pacheco at the CPD on Tuesday night. He corroborated that the pair had been at Roasted Spirit when he made a joke that his wife did not like. She left for the bookstore while he fell asleep in the car, the report said.
She subsequently returned to the car, where he believed her voice had startled him awake. He next got out of the car and walked back to their house to cool off and relax. They continued to argue once he made it home, the report said.
His wife told him to go, commenting about how he might not have to worry about her when he got back. Pacheco was concerned due to her past, and he did not want to leave her like that. He stated they had been arguing for too long and needed to get the kids, the report said.
She was crying, and he was screaming and crying at that point. She told him to leave her, so he “helped her get up.” He described it as a grab or hug without intent to harm her. He tried carrying her to the car, but they did not even make it to the door. She later complained that her left leg hurt, the report said.
Pacheco was arrested on charge of battery (domestic) and booked at the Lake County Jail. He was released after posting $1,000 bond.