[PHOTO CREDIT: Lake County Sheriff’s Office]
[Original Publish Date: 03/31/21]
TAVARES, Florida — A man who stands accused of numerous violent crimes against the same woman and her toddler is now being accused of tampering with a witness, according to his latest arrest affidavit.
Lake Legal News first reported on Robert Louis Joynt, 28, in 2019 after Tavares Police officers rescued his ex-girlfriend and her toddler from Joynt in September 2019. When TPD entered the woman’s apartment, she told them Joynt was holding her son hostage. He came around the corner and refused to release the boy; TPD officers tried to pry the baby from Joynt’s grip, and he resisted and did not release the baby until TPD took him to the ground and punched Joynt in the face and stomach.
Joynt, of Orlando, was arrested that day for aggravated assault, child abuse and resisting arrest and released on $16,000 bond. Less than a month later, Joynt texted the victim and told her a flower delivery driver was at her door and to hurry.
She finished what she was doing and opened the door expecting to see flowers, the affidavit states. Instead of flowers, Joynt came from the flower bed area, covered her mouth and pushed the victim inside. He led her to the couch where he taped her ankles together, her wrists together and taped her wrists to her left leg and taped her mouth shut. He shattered her phone and took her Apple watch, so she could not call for help, according to the affidavit.
Joynt pointed a gun at her, dragged her into the bedroom and told her he, “didn’t want to live anymore and that she would have to watch him die,” that arrest affidavit stated. He removed the tape from her mouth when he noticed she was having difficulty breathing, the victim begged him to stop and told him she would help him. Joynt told her he wanted her to tell him to kill himself or that she “wanted him dead.” Joynt re-taped her mouth and told her he wanted to, “[expletive] one last time.”
Joynt then allegedly placed the victim on her stomach and raped her. Joynt told her to call police and when they got there, he would point the gun at them so they would kill him in front of her. He alternated between pointing the gun at her and at himself. The victim convinced Joynt he deserved to live, and the pair began talking. Joynt then put a belt around his throat until he turned purple. He began to kiss the victim and allegedly attempted to rape her again but was unsuccessful. He cut the tape off the victim and threw his debit card at her and told her to drain his account and left.
In that incident, Joynt was arrested for aggravated sexual battery with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, violation of an injunction and tampering with a witness. He has been held at the Lake County Jail on no bond since he was arrested on those charges.
In November 2020, Joynt was charged with a new crime. On Nov. 3, the same victim in Joynt’s earlier cases contacted the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and said she received information that Joynt was trying to have her killed. She provided messages from Joynt’s former cellmate that stated Joynt offered him $7,500 to kill the woman. The witness confirmed to an LCSO detective Joynt did offer him $7,500 to kill her when he got out of jail so Joynt would not have to go to prison, according to an arrest affidavit. He was charged with conspiracy to commit murder in that case.
On Tuesday, Joynt was charged yet again. In a recorded call made at LCJ, a man later identified as Jordan Gray, Joynt’s cell mate, called her and said she had control over Joynt, and he wanted to see his kid versus going to prison if she was willing to drop the charges. Joynt and the victim do not have any children in common.
Gray was questioned and he told LCSO he made the call at the behest of Joynt because Joynt wanted to “see where her mindset was.” Joynt was charged again with tampering with a witness and continues to be held at LCJ on no 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]
