A Fruitland Park man was arrested Wednesday night after a violent battle with a woman that was witnessed by their two young children.
The woman told Fruitland Park Police officers that 40-year-old Justin Wrey Rogers came home around 9 p.m. to their Griffin Street apartment intoxicated and started screaming in her face about responsibilities, such as cooking for their children. She said she didn’t respond and instead went to a back room in the apartment to smoke a cigarette, a police report states.
The woman claimed Rogers grabbed her and pushed her into their washing machine. The two children also told officers that their mother attempted to leave and Rogers “began hitting the phone out of her hand,” the report says.
The woman confirmed that she was attempting to call 911 to have Rogers leave their apartment when he allegedly knocked the phone out of her hand. She said that one of her sons, whose left leg was in a medical boot, stood up to hold Rogers back as she left the back room and called 911. She also said that Rogers “let her go” when officers arrived, the report says.
The two juveniles confirmed their mother’s story. One said his father “came home drunk” and he held him back from his mother until he exited the home. And the other, who was rubbing his eyes and crying, claimed that Rogers held one of his mother’s arms toward her back to get her phone, the report says.
Rogers, who had been outside the residence with another officer, was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail early Thursday morning. He was charged with simple domestic battery and tampering with a victim and was released late Saturday afternoon on $3,000 bond. He is due in court on Oct. 14 at 8:30 a.m. to answer to the charges.
