A Leesburg man was arrested last week after a spat with a lady friend who doesn’t like him smoking cigarettes.
Phillip Scott Barbian, 20, was charged with simple domestic battery and false imprisonment after the incident, which happened shortly before midnight Wednesday at the residence where he and the victim live on Pioneer Trail. The victim told a Lake County sheriff’s deputy she and Barbian have been romantically involved for about five months and lived together for four.
Barbian told the deputy he and the victim got into a verbal argument over his smoking habits. He said he pushed the victim to get her away from him. Barbian also said he grabbed her by both arms, squeezing her so she would calm down, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim also said the fight was over her not liking that Barbian smokes cigarettes. She said they were in the bedroom when the argument turned aggressive and Barbian threw her onto the ground. The victim said she got up off the ground and Barbian pushed her onto the bed and wouldn’t let her get up, the report said.
The victim said she doesn’t remember where Barbian went at that point, but she was able to run outside and scream for help. She said Barbian chased after and grabbed her by the arms and dragged her back into the residence, putting his hand over her mouth to stop her from yelling, according to the report.
The only injury the deputy observed on the victim was an old bruise on her left bicep. She said she got it from Barbian a week earlier in a similar incident. The victim also said Barbian has struck her in the face in the past, the report said.
Barbian was taken to the Lake County Jail, where he was released Thursday on $6,000 bond. Barbian will appear in Lake County Court on April 5.