A native of Colombia living in the newly constructed Twisted Oaks development in Wildwood is facing deportation after a package from his home country sparked a violent domestic dispute.
Fabian Lopez Benitez, 41, was arrested Tuesday evening on a charge of domestic battery after Wildwood Police Department officers responded to his home on Evenmore Way.
When officers arrived, they found Benitez in the front yard. Because he does not speak English, an officer utilized a Spanish translator by phone to conduct an interview. Benitez told police he had received a package from his mother in Colombia, but his live-in girlfriend of two years believed it was from a lover, which sparked an argument.
According to the arrest report, the girlfriend told police she had not actually said anything about the package but admitted she had a “facial expression of jealousy.” She claimed Benitez became enraged, began screaming profanities, and grabbed a folder containing documentation for a business they shared. When she tried to take the folder back, he snatched it away, giving her a paper cut on her right index finger.
The woman repeatedly told Benitez to stop and leave the house. Instead, he went to their closet and began throwing her belongings onto the floor. When she attempted to grab a dress he was tossing, a pushing match ensued.
The woman’s two children, ages 20 and 16, were present during the entire altercation and physically stepped between the couple to keep Benitez away from their mother. The son ordered Benitez to leave while the teenage daughter called 911. Both children corroborated their mother’s account, confirming to police that Benitez pushed her first.
Benitez was arrested and booked at the Sumter County Detention Center. He was initially held without bond on the domestic battery charge and is currently awaiting transfer to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.