A Leesburg woman was arrested after an alleged attack on a staffer Thursday afternoon at the Hope Recovery Center at the LifeStream Behavioral Center on Tally Road in Leesburg.
Virginia Suess, 44, had been asked to return to her room by a staff member who had found her sleeping in the facility’s lobby. When told that patients were not allowed to sleep in the lobby, Suess became enraged. When staff tried to calm Suess and direct her to her room, she became even more upset, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Suess struck the staff member on her nose with a closed fist. She pulled her hair and scratched the staffer’s arm, leaving deep scratches. She kicked backwards catching the staff member in her stomach. The staffer who had been kicked in the stomach was taken to UF Healthcare Leesburg Hospital.
When the officer talked to Suess, she admitted to lashing out against the staff person because she was, “tired of being told what to do all of the time.” A records check showed that she has two previous battery convictions and an active warrant out of Baker County, charging her with felony battery.
Suess was placed under arrest booked at the Lake County Jail. Bond was set at $2,000.
