A Lady Lake man was arrested for allegedly barricading his girlfriend in a bedroom so she could not leave.
Officers responded to a loud verbal altercation with sounds of distress at the Lady Lake residence of 44-year-old Franklin Hawkins and his girlfriend of two years around 2:30 a.m. Thursday, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department.
Upon arrival, the officers could hear screaming and loud banging coming from inside the home. They pounded on the front door, announcing themselves and asking for someone to come to the door. It opened to Hawkins holding his girlfriend by her waist and not allowing her to walk, the report said.
Her expression showed she was in distress, with tears coming down her face. The officers were able to separate the couple and spoke with the girlfriend. She was in complete fear as she continued to hysterically cry and shake, but she began to describe what happened, the report said.
The girlfriend advised that she was trying to leave when Hawkins put their child’s chair in front of the bedroom door. He grabbed a blanket and sat in front of the door, as well. He had also taken her phone, and when she tried to call 911 using Siri, he pinned her down on the bed so she could not move or leave, the report said.
All she could do was scream and bang on a wall to get someone’s attention for help. She sustained red marks up and down her arms, along with some redness and swelling on her left eye. She would not say how she got the latter, the report said.
When talking with Hawkins, he told law enforcement that it was all an argument and misunderstanding. He stated he did nothing wrong. A check of his criminal history revealed two prior convictions for domestic charges out of Duval County on March 4, 2008, and July 5, 2008, the report said.
Hawkins was arrested on charges of domestic battery, false imprisonment and deprivation of 911. He was booked at Lake County Jail with bond set at $25,000.