Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Travis Lamont Hale Sr., 47, has been sentenced to 20 years in state prison after a jury convicted him of sexual battery, felony battery and domestic battery by strangulation.
Hale was arrested Nov. 13, 2024, after a woman who had been dating him for several months told authorities he had beaten and choked her. She also reported that he kept her with him for two days to stop her from contacting police before forcing her to have sex with him.
According to the victim, Hale became angry on Nov. 9 because he believed another man had been at her apartment. Her family told him that only relatives, including her father, had been there, but he remained upset. Hale then drove her to his apartment and allegedly threw her phone out of the vehicle during the trip.
The woman said she got out of the car at an intersection and walked home. She decided not to contact law enforcement at that point because Hale had destroyed only her phone.
About an hour later, Hale returned to her apartment. She allowed him inside because he appeared calm and had brought back her computer. She said he soon accused her again of having a man in the apartment, then punched her in the face and threatened to break her jaw. Hale allegedly choked her until she lost consciousness. After she woke up, he took her to CVS for first-aid supplies, although she said swelling around her eyes had severely impaired her vision.
Later that day, Hale took the victim with him to a job in Lake City. She said he kept her under constant watch for two days, preventing her from calling police.
On Nov. 10, Hale told the woman he wanted to have sex. When she refused, he reportedly argued that it was unfair because “this is an apology.” Despite her repeated refusals, the victim said Hale forced her to have sexual intercourse with him.
Hale’s trial began Aug. 31. Jurors acquitted him of destroying the victim’s phone but found him guilty of sexual battery, felony battery and domestic battery by strangulation. Judge Denise Ferrero sentenced him to 15 years for sexual battery, followed by five years for felony battery, with credit for 661 days already served. He received a time-served sentence for domestic battery by strangulation and will serve five years of probation after his release. Hale will also be designated as a Sexual Offender.
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