“Negate everything!”: While on duty, married Florida cop “strangled” and “punched” his jealous girlfriend in her own home
Florida – After a fight at his pregnant girlfriend’s apartment, a Florida police officer is facing several criminal charges for physically assaulting the woman. Law and Crime obtained and published a booking report that says that 39-year-old officer Timothy Skaggs was arrested by his own department on May 17 after an encounter that got out of hand very rapidly.
According to the report, the fight started late on May 16 when Skaggs’s girlfriend confronted him about still being with his wife. She informed the police that she tried to break up with him, but things got violent. According to her account, Skaggs pushed her to the ground, punched and strangled her, and forcibly restrained her—all while her two young children were just outside the bedroom door.
As things became worse, the kids reportedly sought to reach out for help, but Skaggs kept trying to stop them from doing so. In the end, he drove away in his police vehicle, still wearing his uniform and probably still on duty. The woman told the police that Skaggs knew she was pregnant when the alleged assault happened.
Fort Lauderdale police claim that Skaggs started contacting the woman and telling her to take back what she had said when officers got there to talk to her. Skaggs reportedly begged over the phone and in front of cops, “Negate everything,” “say that you were drunk.” He kept asking her to do these things, saying that he would lose his job and that she needed to call the police to change her story.
The woman told the police that Skaggs had been violent before and showed them pictures of bruises she had gotten in prior incidents. She said, “this happens a lot,” according to the report.
The next day, Skaggs agreed to speak with detectives. He said he didn’t hit the woman, but that she hit him. He also said that there had never been any other cases of domestic violence.
Skaggs was taken into custody on several charges, including aggravated battery on a pregnant victim, false imprisonment, two counts of domestic battery, two counts of witness tampering, and two counts of robbery by sudden snatching with a firearm or weapon. He posted bond a few days later but was ordered to surrender all firearms and have no contact with the alleged victim.
After the arrest, Fort Lauderdale Police Chief William Schultz said that Skaggs had been put on paid administrative leave. He also said that an internal investigation would start after the criminal matter is over. In a statement, Schultz made it clear that the acts mentioned in the investigation do not reflect the department’s principles and would not be allowed.
The incident remains under investigation as Skaggs awaits further legal proceedings.
