Florida sophomore tight end A.C. Leonard
was arrested Wednesday night by the Gainesville Police Department on a
domestic battery charge.
In an arrest report, Officer Amanda
Prince wrote the case involves the 20-year-old Leonard and a woman he
has been dating for the past 17 months and lived with for the past
month.
According to the report, the couple had
been arguing around 7:20 p.m. Wednesday at the Polos Apartments when
Leonard, “shoved her forcibly with both hands in her chest/neck area.
The force of the shove knocked her down to the ground, causing her head
to strike a dog cage that was behind her.”
The woman told Prince that Leonard told
her to get her belongings and leave, then followed her into the bedroom
where he grabbed her by her hair and tried to drag her out of the
apartment. According to the arrest report, when the woman resisted,
Leonard, “Grabbed her by both feet and pulled her out of the apartment,”
then locked her out of the apartment.
Prince noted in the report that the
woman had a large red abrasion on her left forearm and a quarter-sized
abrasion on her right elbow.
Leonard refused to make any statements, but did tell Prince, “I never hit her. I just wanted her to leave.”
Leonard was booked into the Alachua
County jail at about 9:30 p.m. and held overnight. He made his first
court appearance from the jail via a closed circuit television system at
9 a.m. Thursday. During the court appearance, Leonard was released on
his own recognizance by Alachua County Judge Tom Jaworski.
The judge also told Leonard and his
attorney, Huntley Johnson, that Leonard was to have no contact with the
woman and that he must maintain a separate residence until the charge is
resolved. Leonard agreed to follow the judge’s directions. Johnson told
Jaworski that Leonard was a University of Florida student and that he
was in a “situation where he will be well supervised,” but did not
mention Leonard’s position as a football player.
Following the three-minute hearing, Johnson said he and his client would have no comment on the case.
Leonard caught eight passes for 99 yards
last season. His arrest is the 10th since coach Will Muschamp took over
for Urban Meyer.
UF spokesman Steve McClain said Muschamp was traveling Thursday, but would address the matter later today.
