A Fruitland Park man was arrested for allegedly strangling the mother of his six children when she stopped him from striking their daughter.
A deputy responded to a verbal altercation in progress at an undisclosed Fruitland Park residence around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Prior to the deputy’s arrival, the female victim stated that 31-year-old Juan Alberto Acevedo was currently engaged in a verbal argument with their children. She told call takers that he pushed her to the floor while she was holding their child and put his hand on her throat. Call takers could hear an active verbal argument taking place between the two parties, the report said.
The deputy then met with the victim who stated that herself and Acevedo had been arguing throughout the day. He became upset with her when she refused to buy cigarettes for him while she was at the store. Upon her returning home, he was very irate and animated, the report said.
When the victim’s daughter was in the kitchen, she grabbed a bag of apples and ran throughout the residence, prompting Acevedo to run after her. The victim saw him grab their daughter and strike her very hard multiple times, which caused her to drop a tablet she was holding, the report said.
The victim tried to grab her daughter to prevent Acevedo from harming her at which point he pushed the victim back. She attempted to defend herself by throwing a plantain at him as it was the only object in her hand. He got in her face making threats to her and her family before ultimately pushing her to the ground with their child in her arms, the report said.
As a result, the victim hit her head on a TV stand. She was still on the floor when Acevedo got on top of her, placing his hand around her throat restricting her ability to breathe. He began saying things like, “I am going to knock you out,” the report said.
Acevedo eventually dismounted the victim, and she was able to contact law enforcement. However, while on the landline with LCSO dispatch, she advised that he followed her around the residence while screaming and yelling, the report said.
The report noted that while speaking with the victim, the deputy observed what appeared to be a red mark on the left side of her collarbone area. He also saw what looked like red marks on her neck and jaw area, which she claimed to be a result of the alleged incident, the report said.
The deputy next spoke with Acevedo, who was animated with his actions and speaking very fast. He stated that he approached his daughter in attempts to discipline her when the victim pushed him. After this, he expressed how upset he was to her and advised her that he had evidence of her assaulting him in the past, the report said.
Acevedo advised that this caused the victim to become upset, prompting her to throw a plantain at him and striking him in the face with it. At that point, he told her he “had enough,” causing her to run off attempting to call law enforcement before he did. The report noted that he admitted to getting in her face during the incident. Also, while interviewing the victim, he would yell statements across the yard toward her to cause a verbal argument.
The deputy did not observe what would appear to be injuries to Acevedo’s body. He further advised that he did not follow her around the residence while she was on the landline with LCSO call takers, the report said.
The report also noted that the victim and Acevedo had been living together as a family for 11 years along with having six children together.
Due to the victim’s injuries and Acevedo’s demeanor, he was arrested on charge of domestic battery by strangulation. The New York native was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $2,500 bond.
