EUSTIS, Florida—A man who encountered Eustis Police twice in just a few hours could have spent the night at a friend’s house and went to court for his misdeeds, but instead he came back home, smashed cake in his girlfriend’s face and ended up in jail.
Shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday a woman approached EPD officers while they were on an unrelated traffic stop and told them her boyfriend, Ronald Lee Thompson II battered her at their nearby home and stolen her wallet, her prescribed medication, and her phone when she tried to call 9-1-1, according to an arrest affidavit.
EPD transported the woman back to her home and when police knocked on the door, Thompson refused to answer. The woman used her key to open the door and EPD found Thompson had barricaded the door with a bed. Thompson, who was spotted sitting in the kitchen by an officer, refused to come out when officers called to him, so multiple officers entered the home and asked Thompson to give his side of the story and he continually refused, according to the affidavit.
Officers detained Thompson and he began speaking to them and said he did not know where his girlfriend’s wallet, medication or phone was, but the phone belonged to him. His girlfriend searched the house for her belongings to no avail and told police she believed they were in the trunk of Thompson’s car, the affidavit states.
Thompson refused to consent to a search of his trunk and EPD utilized K9 Hulk to conduct an open-air sniff of the car and while Hulk was working Thompson attempted to distract Hulk by yelling. Hulk’s handler warned him he was interfering with Hulk while he was performing his duty and Thompson continued to yell, trying to distract the pup.
While looking for her things, Thompson’s girlfriend opened a white box that was sitting next to Thompson when officers entered, and inside the box were two baggies of marijuana, two vape pens, one with a used THC cartridge, a grinder, three lighters and two boxes of rolling papers. Due to lack of evidence, EPD did not arrest Thompson on domestic battery, but they did inform him he was being arrested for the marijuana and paraphernalia. Thompson reportedly asked if he could avoid going to jail if he was able to produce his girlfriend’s belongings and leave the home for the night, according to the affidavit
Thompson told officers where to find her belongings and he was issued three notices to appear in court. He gathered some personal items and told officers he would walk to his friend’s house because he had been drinking.
About four hours later, just before 3 a.m. Sunday, Thompson’s girlfriend went to Eustis Police Department and said Thompson had returned home, smashed a piece of cake in her face and again taken her belongings. Police arrived back at the home and found Thompson sitting outside and he “appeared to be more intoxicated than at our previous encounter,” the arresting officer noted in the affidavit. Thompson said he came back home because the friend had already gone to sleep, and he did not want to disturb him. He also said he never went in the home after returning.
Police found visible signs of an altercation, including a cake plate upside down on the floor and cake smeared on the fridge. He said he had no idea where his girlfriend’s belongings were and he was told he was being arrested for his previous crimes, as well as grand theft of a controlled substance and petit theft. Thompson was placed into handcuffs and arrested for domestic battery, obstructing a K9 in the course of duty, possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia and resisting without violence, in addition to the theft charges. Thompson sat down on the ground and refused to stand and stated several times he was not resisting, just failing to comply. He reportedly said if police were going to arrest him, they would have to drag him out of the yard. Thompson was placed in leg shackles and a hobble restraint and carried to a patrol car. He then agreed to stand and sit in the car without any more resistance, the affidavit states.
Thompson was transported to the Lake County Jail, where he was released on $7,500 bond.
