A Lake Wales, FL man remained in the Polk County, FL Jail infirmary in Bartow, FL on Saturday following his arrest on charges that he became violent and pointed a loaded handgun at emergency responders.
According to the News Chief, the incident with Bobby Leath, 56, of 604 Booker Ave. in Lake Wales, FL begun around 12:45 p.m. Friday when Polk County, FL Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services personnel responded to what appeared to be a single-vehicle crash alongside an orange grove near 4000 State Road 60 in Lake Wales, FL.
Two emergency medical technicians made contact with a man, later identified as Leath, who was in the driver's seat of a 1989 Cadillac.
With an initial assessment that the man had low blood sugar, the two EMTs notified him that they needed to start an intravenous line, but the man became uncooperative to the point that the EMTs had to stop treatment and await backup, the Polk County Sheriff's Office report stated.
When Polk County Fire Department Lt. Kevin Shireman and engineer Derek Kucera arrived, Kucera used a chain saw to remove a limb that was wedged against the driver's door of the Cadillac and Shireman attempted to speak to Leath. According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office report, Leath slapped Shireman's hand and then punched him in the face twice, prompting everyone to back away from the man and call the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
Polk County Sheriff Deputy Dennis Primeau and Lake Wales, FL police Officer Lynette Townsel arrived next and attempted to make contact with Leath, who reportedly got out of his car and punched Primeau on the chin, knocking him into an orange tree.
When Primeau told Leath he was under arrest and ordered him to turn around and place his hands behind his back, the man refused to comply, according to the Sheriff's Office. First Primeau and then Townsel used their Taser weapons in an attempt to subdue the man, but neither weapon appeared to have an effect.
Leath was arrested and charged by Polk County Sheriff's Office deputies with one count of resisting arrest with violence, two counts of battery on police or fire personnel and six counts of aggravated assault on police or fire personnel.
According to the Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation, for 11 consecutive years, the estimated number of aggravated assaults nationwide has declined. In 2004, occurrences of this offense decreased 0.5 percent compared with the 2003 number, down to 854,911 offenses. Five- and 10-year trend data for aggravated assault showed declines of 6.2 percent and 22.2 percent, respectively.
During 2004, data has shown a decrease in the frequency of aggravated assaults per 100,000 inhabitants. The rate, estimated at 291.1 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants nationwide, decreased 1.5 percent compared with the 2003 rate, 10.1 percent from that in 2000, and 30.4 percent from the 1995 rate.
Among the four types of offenses classified as violent crime, i.e. murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, aggravated assault typically has the highest percentage of occurrences. The trend continued in 2004 with this offense accounting for an estimated 62.5 percent of violent crime.
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