A Tampa man was arrested on multiple felony charges after an argument at a villa in The Villages turned into a violent struggle over a woman’s electronics.
Anthony Lamar Bethune, 33, was arrested late Thursday night following the altercation at a residence on Leicester Terrace in the Belmont Villas in the Village of Belvedere.
According to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to the neighborhood and found the victim sitting on the ground in a nearby driveway. She told deputies she had been inside her residence packing up her belongings to leave following an argument with Bethune.
She had placed her car keys — which were attached to a pink pouch holding her driver’s license and cash — inside her bra for safekeeping. However, she alleged Bethune grabbed the keys from her bra and then tried to snatch her iPhone X out of her hand. During the ensuing struggle, she dropped her iPad Air, and Bethune allegedly snatched that up as well.
The woman told deputies that Bethune struck her on the left side of her mouth during the struggle, leaving a red abrasion on her bottom lip.
The Ohio native then exited the home and got into his 2021 Chevy Silverado pickup truck. The woman said she followed him to the truck and reached through the driver’s side window after spotting her pink electronics in his lap, demanding he return her belongings, valued at $2,406. Instead, Bethune rolled up the window and drove away.
A deputy contacted Bethune by phone and asked him to return to the scene. Bethune claimed the woman had bitten him, scratched his chest and pulled his hair during the argument, but he was initially hesitant to return and provide a statement.
Deputies eventually found Bethune walking toward his truck after he returned to the neighborhood. He denied hitting the woman and repeated his claims that she had attacked him, though deputies noted he had no visible scratches or bite marks.
Bethune also denied taking the woman’s electronics and gave deputies permission to search his truck. While they did not find the missing phone, iPad or keys, they did discover a clear plastic bag containing marijuana and rolling papers in the driver’s side door. Bethune did not have a valid medical marijuana card.
A criminal history check revealed Bethune had a prior conviction for battery.
He was arrested on a felony charge of battery (second or subsequent offense), a felony charge of grand theft, and a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession.
He was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center and was initially held without bond.