A Leesburg man was arrested for battery when he allegedly kicked his girlfriend while accusing her of infidelity.
A deputy responded to a domestic disturbance involving 22-year-old Chase Hinton Reeder and his girlfriend of six years at their camper on Emeralda Island Road in Leesburg at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Reeder advised that the couple was arguing because his girlfriend was leaving and taking their kids. When asked what the argument was about, he stated it started with her talking to another man behind his back. The deputy pressed for more details, wanting to know if anything physical happened, to which Reeder claimed there was “a little bit” of shirt grabbing,” the report said.
He could not remember who grabbed who first because they were both hotheaded. He later clarified that he thought his girlfriend pulled him first, before she started recording the incident. She had since deleted the video from her iPhone, the report said.
But according to his girlfriend, she recorded Reeder on her phone because he was showing signs of anger and aggression. He saw she was filming him, snatched the phone from her and threw himself on the bed. When she tried to get the phone back, he kicked her away in the leg area, the report said.
She did not want to write a statement or pursue charges because she did not want Reeder to get in trouble. She still showed the deputy the video of Reeder taking her phone and kicking her, the report said.
The deputy subsequently spoke with the girlfriend’s mother. She had received a call the previous night from one of her sons, saying Reeder had threatened to stab his girlfriend and their two children. Another son went to check on them, but the girlfriend told him nothing happened and that Reeder was sleeping, the report said.
Earlier that day, the mother got another call about Reeder breaking windows and threatening to leave with the kids. Reeder prevented her from speaking with his girlfriend, so she called law enforcement, the report said.
When questioned about the threats, Reeder stated he told his girlfriend that he would stab the man she was having sex with. This referred to the man with whom she was allegedly cheating. He denied making threats toward her or their children directly. He would never threaten her physically or mentally, and saying something in anger does not mean he would actually do it, the report said.
Reeder sustained a torn shirt, along with red marks and scratches on his body. Based on the circumstances, including his girlfriend’s account, he was determined to be the primary aggressor. His girlfriend confirmed that she would be leaving the residence with her mother and two children, the report said.
Reeder was arrested on charge of simple battery (domestic). He was booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $1,000 bond.