No Surprises Here ... Yet
Imagine That ....
Michael Muskal, for the
Los Angeles Times:
George Zimmerman, whose battles with the law have captivated the nation for almost two years, was arrested again Monday in Florida on charges of domestic violence, including pointing a weapon at his girlfriend.
Zimmerman, 30, was taken into custody in Apopka, Fla., where he and his girlfriend lived, and taken to the Seminole County jail, Florida officials said. He will spend the night in a 64-square-foot cell and will appear before a judge Tuesday afternoon, Chief Deputy Dennis Lemma said at a televised news conference ....
.... “We’re handling this matter in a manner that we would handle any other domestic violence matter,” despite Zimmerman’s notoriety, Lemma told reporters. Zimmerman is being held in administrative detention, which includes a single cell and hourly visits from jailers, he said.
According to Lemma, officials were notified about 12:30 p.m. of a verbal dispute at the home of Zimmerman’s girlfriend, where the former neighborhood watch volunteer also lived. Lemma said the details were unclear but it appeared that the couple was in the process of breaking up.
The girlfriend said Zimmerman broke a table and pointed “a long-barreled shotgun” at her, Lemma said. Zimmerman pushed the woman out of the home and barricaded the door, he said.
Investigators arrived and eventually entered by using a key and pushing away the furniture, Lemma said. Zimmerman offered no resistance.
He was arrested and booked at the jail about 1 p.m. His court appearance will be at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Officials are seeking a search warrant to look over the apartment. They think two weapons, which have yet to be recovered, were involved, Lemma said.
Setting aside those who would contest the
Times' use of the word "again", there is a lot going on here. Zimmerman is accused (surprise, surprise!) of pointing a shotgun at his girlfriend. This is simply an accusation, as police are still seeking alleged firearms. At this time, however, the details of the allegations are a bit ugly:
The girlfriend, Samantha Scheibe, called 911 in the early afternoon to say that Zimmerman had smashed a glass table, threatened her with the shotgun and ultimately pushed her out of the house, according to an arrest report. After pushing her out, Zimmerman barricaded the door with furniture and refused to leave, saying that he would talk to police by phone, authorities said.
Deputies used a key provided by Scheibe to unlock the door and they were able to push through the barricade of items, Chief Deputy Dennis Lemma said at a news conference hours after the arrest ....
.... Scheibe told deputies that the ordeal started with a verbal argument and that she asked Zimmerman to leave the house. Her account in the arrest report says he began packing his belongings, including a shotgun and an assault rifle. She says she began putting his things in the living room and outside the house, and he became upset. At that point, the report says, he took the shotgun out of its case.
"Scheibe then advised Zimmerman that she was calling the Police because she was nervous about why he pulled out the Shotgun. Zimmerman then pointed the Shotgun at Scheibe for a minute, and asked her if she really wanted to do that," the report states. "Scheibe stepped back, at which time Zimmerman smashed a glass coffee table, belonging to Scheibe, with the butt of the Shotgun."
Zimmerman told his girlfriend to leave and smashed a pair of her sunglasses as she walked toward the front door, the report says. Scheibe told deputies that he pushed her out of the house when she got close to the door.
(Associated Press)
Presently, media reports are uncertain about Zimmerman's legal representation, except to say that neither of his attorneys from his murder trial are currently representing him. Reporters have attempted to contact Robert Zimmerman, Jr., George's brother who frequently spoke on his behalf during the murder investigation and trial, but have not heard any response.
____________________
Notes:
Muskal, Michael. "George Zimmerman charged with pointing gun at girlfriend". Nation Now. November 18, 2013. LATimes.com. November 18, 2013. http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-george-zimmerman-arrests-20131118,0,7859772.story
Associated Press. "Girlfriend claims George Zimmerman pointed gun at her". Politico. November 18, 2013. Politico.com. November 18, 2013. http://www.politico.com/story/2013/11/george-zimmerman-arrested-after-disturbance-call-99998.html