A Gainesville man was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly took his girlfriend’s car keys and physically restrained her from leaving his house.
Christopher Lee Holtz, 18, was arrested on charges of simple battery and false imprisonment related to dating violence.
At about 8 p.m. Tuesday, Holtz and his girlfriend of three years were arguing in his front yard in the 1600 block of SE Third Ave., according to the report.
Ira Keene, 49, who lived at the house with Holtz, said the couple was arguing about money and a credit card. He said Holtz had “deleted” the woman’s bank account.
Just before the girlfriend arrived at the house, Keene said, he questioned Holtz regarding some borrowed stereo equipment Keene said Holtz couldn’t account for.
“He was in a bad mood,” Keene said.
When Holtz’s girlfriend tried to leave in her car, Holtz grabbed her keys and refused to give them back, according to the police report. She continued to try to get into her car, but Holtz repeatedly blocked her path.
When she started kicking Holtz, he wrapped his arms around her and forced her inside his house. He said he didn’t want the argument to disturb the neighbors, according to the report.
Holtz’s girlfriend tried to escape several times, but Holtz prevented her from leaving.
Keene was in the backyard when he heard the sound of glass shattering. The woman had broken a window next to the front door in an attempt to leave the house, according to the report.
Holtz was arrested at about 9 p.m. and booked into the Alachua County Jail, where he remained as of press time with a bond of $20,000.
Contact Kelcee Griffis at kgriffis@alligator.org.
