A Clermont man was arrested for domestic and sexual battery after allegedly hitting his girlfriend when she did not want to engage in sexual conduct.
An officer responded to an undisclosed Clermont residence around 1:29 a.m. Tuesday regarding an alleged battery that occurred about 20 minutes before, according to an arrest report from the Clermont Police Department.
Upon arrival, the officer met with the female victim. She advised that her boyfriend, 49-year-old Scott Allen Randall, whom she had been in an intimate relationship with since 2019 and had been living with her for the past month hit her on the lip, bit her face and pushed her against a wall. The officer observed redness and slight swelling on the right side of her face and cheek, a slightly red and bleeding lip, bruising on the inside of her left arm and scratches on both arms and wrists, the report said.
The victim explained that she and Randall had gotten into an argument over him wanting to engage in sexual activity. Because she did not want to participate, he bit her on the cheek, hit her lip with his hand, grabbed her by both arms and pinned her against the wall in their bedroom. She was in fear for her safety during the battery as Randall had a “look in his face” that she had never seen before, the report said.
The officer asked where Randall was at that time, and she advised that he was back inside the residence and unaware that law enforcement had been called out. While the officer tried to make contact with Randall, another officer assisted with completing a written statement as the victim stated she was disabled and unable to write herself, the report said.
Meanwhile, the officer knocked on the door to the residence multiple times. Randall eventually came to the door, and the officer could immediately detect the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and body as he stepped outside. Due to the allegations of battery and the fact that Randall was “not law enforcement friendly,” he was detained in double locked handcuffs and read his rights before any questioning, the report said.
Randall understood his rights and was willing to answer questions. The officer first asked how much he had to drink due to the extremely strong smell of intoxicants coming off him, and he stated that he drank no alcohol. He was then asked if he knew why the police were called, and he said “no,” the report said.
Randall was asked why the victim was alleging that he hit and bit her, to which he shrugged his shoulders. The officer observed what appeared to be a fresh abrasion above his lip and asked him what it was from. Randall gave no substantial answer, eventually stating that he wished to speak to a lawyer which caused all questioning to stop, the report said.
Another officer on scene spoke with a subject who was inside the house at the time but was not in the bedroom with the victim and Randall when the alleged incident happened. He advised that he did not see any physical altercation occur, however, he heard a verbal disturbance occurring between the two, the report said.
Due to the domestic nature of the call, the statement given by the person in the home and the victim, and the physical evidence on the victim’s body, the officer determined there was probable cause to place Randall under arrest for domestic battery. Prior to heading to Lake County Jail, the officer spoke with the victim one more time as she had not yet decided if she wanted to press charges. He explained her options, and she agreed that she did wish to press charges because she was afraid of Randall and did not want him to return, the report said.
The officer requested Lake County dispatch complete a criminal history check on Randall for any prior batteries. This revealed he had three total charges for battery and one prior conviction of battery, meaning this would be labeled as felony battery due to it being a subsequent offense, the report said.
After arriving at Lake County Jail with Randall, the officer received a call from another officer who was still on scene with the victim helping her write a statement. He explained that she was alleging a sexual battery occurred before the domestic battery. He continued to say that after the victim told Randall she did not wish to engage in sexual conduct, he pushed her onto their bed, got on top of her and began to stick his fingers inside her, the report said.
In her statement, the victim confirmed these events. She further advised that she told Randall not to stick his fingers inside her and that she did not want to do anything. She told him to get off and pushed him away with her hands, which was when he got close to her and said he could hurt her, the report said.
This was when Randall bit the victim on the cheek and punched her lip with closed fingers. He pushed her against the wall, scaring the victim. She told him that he could kill her, and he stated that if he could kill her, she would be “dead by now,” the report said.
Because of the sexual battery allegation, an officer contacted the on-call criminal investigations detective to respond and investigate. Jail staff were notified that Randall needed to be placed in a “dry cell” to preserve DNA evidence that may still have been present on his hands, fingers or clothes, the report said.
The detective further questioned the victim and stated he was unable to get more information regarding the sexual battery allegations. The victim declined a Sexual Assault Nurse Examination be completed. The detective instead collected the clothing she was wearing during and prior to the alleged sexual battery along with bed sheets, the report said.
Additionally, the detective began working on a search warrant for a DNA swab kit to be completed by Randall. An officer and the Lake County Sheriff’s jail staff monitored Randall while he was in the dry cell and ensured that he did not make any noticeable attempts to remove DNA that may have been present on his hands or finger, the report said.
Randall was charged with domestic battery (second offense) and sexual battery (domestic) as evidence continues to be collected and processed. The Ohio native had bond set at $2,500.