A 58-year-old Fruitland Park man was arrested Thursday after he locked his wife out of their home after she refused to obtain a payday loan to fund his marijuana purchase.
The woman had returned home to 2035 Melanie St. and discovered she had been locked out, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
The woman showed deputies several texts Robert McKay Lebaron had sent, encouraging her to go to a payday lender to obtain money to buy him marijuana. He reportedly threatened to lock her out of their home if she didn’t bring home the money. When she got home, the garage door was disabled and a key had broken off in the door lock to prevent her entry.
When she gained entry to the home, he reportedly threw a can of dog food at her and poked at her as she attempted to retrieve her belongings.
She also told deputies that a Samsung Galaxy tablet issued to her by her employer was missing.
Lebaron was arrested on charges of grand theft and battery and booked at the Lake County Jail where he was initially being held without bond.
