A Leesburg man was arrested after he allegedly choked a woman to unconsciousness after throwing her phone away so she couldn’t call law enforcement.
John William Randell Hoover, 34, was charged with domestic battery by strangulation and obstructing justice by tampering in a third-degree felony proceeding. Leesburg Police responded to 700 Physicians Court at around 1:15 p.m. May 17 after Hoover called and reported the victim was destroying his belongings, according to the police report.
The victim told an officer that she and Hoover were in an argument the previous night that stretched into to the morning. She said before the officer’s arrival, she was lying inside a tent she shares with Hoover when he became irate and started hitting her. The victim said she tried to call police with her cell phone, but Hoover took it away and threw it across the campsite, according to the report.
The victim said Hoover placed his arm across her neck and was “choking her out.” She said she lost consciousness and later woke up to find her phone broken. The victim said she and Hoover were in a dating relationship for two years and lived together as a family, making the incident domestic, the report said.
The officer observed the victim had an abrasion on the inside of her right arm and red marks around her neck, which corroborated her statement. She also had a bruise on her lip. Officers also found the victim’s cell phone, which was broken, according to the report.
Hoover was taken to the Lake County Jail, where he is still being held on $4,000 bond. Hoover is due to appear in Lake County Court on June 14.
