[PHOTO CREDITS: Lake County Sheriff’s Office]
[Original Publish Date: 02/14/20]
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LEESBURG, Florida — A man who growled at Leesburg Police Department’s K9 Max and tried to fight him is in the Lake County Jail facing several charges.
Leesburg Police responded to a domestic battery call in the Sunnyside area of Leesburg late Tuesday night and found Michael David Holcomb, 39, of Leesburg pinning a woman to the ground, according to an arrest affidavit. The arresting officer drew his taser and ordered Holcomb away from the victim; Holcomb stood up, backed away from the officer and refused to lie on the ground when the officer told him to.
Allegedly Holcomb continued to walk away from the officer and pulled away from him when he tried to grab Holcomb’s arm — then Holcomb walked into the road as K9 Max and his handler arrived. Holcomb continued to refuse the officers’ requests to stop and K9 Max was deployed to apprehend him, the affidavit states.
K9 Max knocked Holcomb to the ground and bit him several times as Holcomb punched and kicked at K9 Max. “[Holcomb] disengaged from K9 Max and began to growl at K9 Max in an attempt to entice him into another fight” the affidavit states. Holcomb then began to walk away and police warned him he would be tased if he did not comply. He failed to comply and was tased and taken into custody.
The domestic battery victim told police Holcomb pushed her down and choked her. She said he choked and released her several times while telling her he was going to kill her.
Holcomb was charged with battery by strangulation, battery (two prior convictions), resisting an officer without violence and battery on a police K9. He is being held in the Lake County Jail on $47,000 bond.
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Our Editor-in-Chief, Marilyn M. Aciego, began writing for Lake Legal News in 2010. Born and raised in Lake County, she is a graduate of Umatilla High School and Lake-Sumter State College. She started her journalism career at LSSC, where she was editor of both student publications, The Angler and The Odyssey. Her professional career began at the Daily Commercial in 2004 where she covered cops and courts the majority of her time there until she left in 2009. Currently, along with being Editor-in-Chief of Lake Legal News, she is the Florida bureau chief for an international media organization. She has made more than two dozen appearances on live national television, including Nancy Grace and the Greta Van Susteren show, along with her appearance on Evil Twins. Contact her with breaking news, tips, and feedback by sending an e-mail to 352Tips@gmail.com. You can also contact us on our Facebook page — and make sure you “Like” and “Follow us” there. [PHOTO CREDIT: Bonnie Whicher]
