‘Say you were drinking’: On-duty officer assaulted pregnant girlfriend who threatened to reveal his infidelity to his wife, police say

A Florida constabulary serviceman who allegedly got into a carnal altercation with his pregnant woman tried to get her to instrumentality backmost her story.

According to a booking report obtained by Law&Crime, Fort Lauderdale constabulary serviceman Timothy Skaggs, 39, was arrested by his ain section connected May 17 aft his woman reported that helium had physically assaulted her portion her 2 children were successful the home. After constabulary interviewed Skaggs, helium reportedly called the pistillate portion she was with different officers astatine her apartment. During 1 of those calls — wherever the officers recognized his dependable — Skaggs allegedly told the woman, “Negate everything. Say you were drinking.”

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Skaggs, who was placed connected a 180-day suspension pursuing his arrest, allegedly told detectives that helium and the pistillate had been successful a narration for much than a twelvemonth and were surviving arsenic a household with her 2 children. The pistillate corroborated the communicative to police. Skaggs was besides joined astatine the time, and the pistillate told detectives that connected the nighttime of May 16, she confronted him astir inactive having a romanticist narration with his woman and tried to extremity their ain relationship.

What ensued, according to the booking report, was an alleged convulsive altercation that included the pistillate being pushed down by Skaggs, “strangled” and “punched,” and restrained. The woman’s children were extracurricular the chamber doorway portion the alleged battle occurred, but the pistillate told constabulary that she told them she was OK.

According to the report, some children tried to telephone for help, but Skaggs repeatedly tried to forestall the pistillate and her children from making the call. He yet near the location successful his constabulary cruiser. The pistillate told constabulary that helium was successful azygous passim the alleged incident.

The pistillate besides told constabulary that Skaggs knew she was large portion helium allegedly committed the assault.

Skaggs volunteered to marque a connection the adjacent time and denied that helium ever struck the woman, telling detectives that she was the 1 who struck him. Police stated that Skaggs denied immoderate home unit incidents with the pistillate — she told them, “this happens a lot,” and had kept a photographic grounds of the bruises she allegedly got from Skaggs.

When the pistillate returned to her flat with constabulary officers to stitchery her belongings, Skaggs reportedly called her respective times. One of the officers recognized his dependable erstwhile she enactment the telephone connected talker and heard him say, “I americium getting a 180-day suspension, telephone them now.” He past ended the call.

Skaggs allegedly called again, and the pistillate again enactment the telephone connected speaker. Officers heard him allegedly archer her, “I americium going to suffer my job. You person to telephone them now.”

When she asked him, “Call them and accidental what? How tin I hole this?” Skaggs allegedly responded, “Call them now. I americium begging you, telephone them now. I americium connected a 180-day suspension. Negate everything. Negate everything. Say you were drinking. I don’t know, but telephone them now.”

Skaggs was charged with aggravated artillery of a large victim, mendacious imprisonment, 2 counts of home battery, 2 counts of witnesser tampering, and 2 counts of robbery by abrupt snatching with a firearm oregon weapon. He was taken into custody connected May 17 and posted enslaved connected Tuesday. He was ordered by a justice to surrender his weapons and person nary interaction with his alleged victim.

WPLG, a section ABC affiliate, reported that Fort Lauderdale Police Department Chief William Schultz confirmed that Skaggs was placed connected paid administrative leave. In a statement, helium said, “At the decision of these transgression proceedings, a afloat interior probe volition beryllium conducted by the Ft. Lauderdale Police Department’s Office of Internal Affairs.”

Schultz added, “The alleged behaviour volition not beryllium tolerated and is not typical of the men and women of the Ft. Lauderdale Police Department.”