When a husband and wife started to argue regarding participation in a community Pickleball clinic being offered the fight allegedly resulted in an eruption of physical violence.
61-year-old Lan Nguyen Augustus and her 67-year-old husband live in The Villages retirement community, and they have taken part in some of the social activities hosted in the area.
When the couple learned about a Pickleball clinic that was accepting enrollment they began to argue, and Augustus allegedly ended it by punching the man in the face two times.
Things reportedly quieted and the man went to the bedroom to lay down. Within an hour, the wedded duo again began to quarrel about the clinic. Augustus has been accused of concluding the second confrontation by pushing and punching her husband before hitting his foot with a metal easel.
Augustus reportedly decided to retire to a separate bedroom in their home and she locked herself in while her husband allegedly tried to get her to discuss things.
The alleged victim said that instead of complying with his plea to speak about the issue, she opened the door and pushed him away before she began to hit him again. Augustus’ husband stated that he then held her on the ground tightly so that she would stop the alleged assault.
Augustus notified the police to report the event and when they arrived the statements of both parties were collected.
The alleged victim’s story was rather contradictory to the one issued by Augustus, who said that she only pushed her husband out of the way because he was restricting her from coming back into their home when she had gone to the garage for some items. She stated that her husband bumped his chest against her before she hit him and that she used an open hand.
Augustus also told the officers that she had a cup in her hand and her husband took it from her before lifting her off of the ground and throwing her onto the floor.
Augustus displayed a bruise on her arm, and her husband said that he was not injured, but an officer recorded that he believed the man’s face was swollen.
The authorities decided that Augustus was the aggressor in the incident and took her to the county jail for allegations of felony battery on a person over the age of 65.
Augustus, who was reported as having no prior incidents with the law, was detained overnight without bond. She was released the next afternoon when she was ordered to pay $5000 to ensure her return to court for the alleged domestic abuse.
If you or someone you love is suspected of domestic violence, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.