Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Leigh Ann Franklin, 40, was arrested today after police said she intentionally struck another vehicle with her car door during an April incident.
According to the responding Gainesville Police Department officer, the incident occurred at about 8:30 a.m. on April 18 while the victim and a friend were seated in the front of his vehicle outside Chase Bank at 2916 SW 35th Drive, waiting for the business to open so he could report to work. The victim told police that company policy prohibits him from speaking with people before the bank opens or before he enters the building.
Police said a van parked in the space on the passenger side of the victim’s vehicle, with both vehicles facing the bank. The van’s driver allegedly reached through her open window and began tapping on the passenger-side window of the victim’s vehicle, saying she needed him to move so she could get out of her van.
The victim said he did not respond because of the company policy and believed his vehicle was parked correctly between the white lines. He told police the woman started yelling at him, and when he continued not to answer, she allegedly said, “Fine, I’m going to hit your car!”
The woman then allegedly opened her door “aggressively” and deliberately hit the victim’s vehicle with it. Police said she drove away while still yelling, then circled back and allegedly opened her door again, striking the front bumper of the victim’s car before circling the area again and eventually leaving.
The victim and witnesses described the woman as driving a white Dodge van and provided a description of her to police. The victim also recorded the tag number, which returned to a white Dodge van. One witness photographed the woman, and later positively identified Franklin in a photo lineup.
A second witness told police he was sitting in his vehicle with the windows open when he heard shouting and saw a woman in a white van yelling at the victim. The witness said the victim did not speak or move toward the woman while she yelled. He reported seeing the woman slam her door into the victim’s door before driving around the parking lot several times while continuing to scream; that witness also took a photo of the woman.
A third witness, a security guard at the bank, reportedly saw the entire incident and corroborated the accounts of the victim and the other witnesses.
The damage to the victim’s car was estimated at about $2,500.
Officers made several attempts to locate Franklin but were unsuccessful. A warrant for her arrest on a charge of felony property damage was issued on June 11 by Judge Denise Ferrero, who ordered her released on her own recognizance. Franklin has no criminal convictions.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
