TAVARES, Fla.—A man first arrested nearly two years ago for breaking his 8-month-old daughter’s leg is back in the Lake County Jail for failing to appear at a mandatory court date, according to documents in the case against him.
Dominic Ralston’s new legal troubles began in July when Circuit Judge James Baxley ordered him to appear in court Aug. 28. On Aug. 27, his attorney, Jaimie Washo Spivey, filed a motion to withdraw from his case stating in part, “The undersigned attorney has reached out via text to the Defendant numerous times since January 2023 and has not received any response.”
Baxley granted Washo Spivey’s request, forfeited his bond and issued a warrant for his arrest for failure to appear on Aug. 28 when he did not show for court, according to Lake County Clerk of Court online records.
Ralston, 24, was surrendered to LCJ by his bondsman Tuesday and is now being held on no bond. Ralston was arrested in November 2021 after it was discovered his daughter had a broken leg and bruised ribs after being alone with him. Ralston was interviewed by Mount Dora Police Department, and he denied knowing how she broke her leg and attempted to explain away the bruising, telling a detective she was accident prone. He refused to take a Controlled Voice Stress Analysis Test and was arrested for aggravated child abuse. He posted $10,000 bond, was released and retained Washo Spivey within days of his arrest. His next plea negotiation conference is scheduled for Dec. 12.
Previous story:
https://insidelake.com/2021/11/02/8-month-old-babys-leg-broken-dad-arrested/
