[PHOTO CREDIT: Lake County Sheriff’s Office]
[Original Publish Date: 09/22/20]
CLERMONT, Florida — A man accused of kicking a cat in the nose, battering his pregnant girlfriend, telling her to abort the child and breaking both an iPhone and iWatch is behind bars on $59,000.
On Sunday, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded to a battery complaint at a home on South Fork Ranch Road; the victim told LCSO her boyfriend, Jake Alanson Eichstadt, 24, had been “using narcotics for days,” an arrest affidavit states. The victim said she went to work without Eichstadt Saturday and he was upset she left him at home; he allegedly stayed upset throughout the day and was throwing and breaking things.
The victim told Eichstadt she took a pregnancy test and they “needed to work out their problems for a better future for the child,” the affidavit states. She told LCSO Eichstadt told her to abort the baby and became enraged; while he was having a “destructive episode” their cat was walking through the house and Eichstadt kicked the cat directly in the face, causing its nose to bleed and have trouble breathing, according to the affidavit. The victim said the cat was still severely injured on Sunday and she planned to take it to the vet, but Eichstadt continued to fight with her, so she was unable to.
The victim told LCSO Eichstadt was arrested in Orange County, previously and blames her — she said Eichstadt believes she owes him for the money and narcotics that were confiscated during the arrest and he wanted her to donate plasma to get money to pay him back, according to the affidavit. The victim made the appointment but canceled, and Eichstadt began to throw and break things and the victim told him she was calling his mother and law enforcement. He then allegedly began to fight her for her phone and hit her in the arm, knocking it from her hand. He then threw the phone and broke the screen. She tried to use her watch to call for help and Eichstadt ripped the watch from her wrist and shattered it into pieces, according to the victim.
The victim then ran to her phone, fled the home and called 9-1-1.
Eichstadt told LCSCO he did nothing wrong and did not kick the cat; LCSO photographed the victim’s injuries, the cat’s injuries and the broken electronics.
Eichstadt was taken into custody and charged with battery on a pregnant female, animal cruelty, deprivation of 9-1-1 and two counts of criminal mischief.
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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]
