A Yalaha man was arrested after allegedly strangling his girlfriend for opening the bathroom door with a butterknife.
Officers responded to a battery an undisclosed Leesbrug residence at 10:26 a.m. Sunday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
Upon arrival, the officers met with the victim outside the residence. She advised that she used a butterknife to unlock the bathroom door while her boyfriend, 19-year-old Terry Clarence Harrison, was inside. They argued, and he came out of the bathroom, the report said.
The victim then locked the bathroom door, which upset Harrison. They were arguing in the bathroom when he grabbed her by the back of the neck. He forcibly hit her head against the bathtub multiple times, the report said.
Harrison then choked the victim with his arm from behind her. She could not breathe and started turning blue, so she scratched at him to get away. He proceeded to dump bleach on her, which the officers could smell on her, the report said.
The officers next spoke with a witness outside the residence who was friends with the victim and lived in the residence. She attested to the events as described by the victim. She also stated she struck Harrison on his back when he was on the victim to get him off her. She and the victim refused to provide written statements, the report said.
One of the officers then met with Harrison outside the residence. He stated he was using the bathroom when the victim, who he had been dating and living with for about eight months, used a butterknife to open the door. They began arguing, and she tried to cut him with the butterknife. He pinned her down to stop her from cutting him before he gathered his belongings to leave, the report said.
Harrison had small scratches on his arms, and the victim had a handprint on the back of her neck and scratches on her neck. All injuries were consistent with the victim’s account of the incident, and the officers determined Harrison to be the primary aggressor, the report said.
The victim did not want to pursue charges and would not let officers into the apartment until later. They were unable to find the butterknife, and there were no injuries on Harrison to suggest he was cut with the knife, the report said.
Additionally, a criminal history check revealed Harrison had two prior convictions for battery under a delinquent status from March and May 2019, the report said.
Harrison was arrested on charge of battery by strangulation (domestic). The Michigan native was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $5,000 bond.