DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A Daytona Beach woman is in jail after she tried to strangle her girlfriend and then attack a police officer with a pen, according to officials from the Daytona Beach Police Department.
Valencia Leno, 25, was arrested Monday night on charges of domestic battery, resisting an officer with violence and depriving an officer of means of protection. Leno told the arresting officer she wanted him to kill her, according to authorities.
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Leno and her girlfriend had been living together for about a year, along with her girlfriend's 9-year-old daughter. Officials said Leno and the victim got into an argument over Leno not having a job and refusing to do house work. The victim told Leno she was going to leave her and that she needed to move out, according to police.
Officers said Leno then began to strangle the victim with her forearm. Officials said when the victim yelled to her daughter to call the police, Leno threatened the girl, asking "You want me to kill your kid?"
The daughter did call 911 while Leno was actively strangling her mother, according to police. They said the victim was eventually able to fight Leno off, after which she began to flee on foot.
According to Leno's arrest report, an officer saw Leno running away from her apartment after the incident had been reported. The report states that the officer, who was in uniform, followed Leno on foot to the corner of Verona Street and South Clyde Morris Boulevard. When Leno refused to stop running, the officer grabbed her by the arm and then attempted to take her down to incapacitate her, the report states.
During the takedown, Leno tried to grab the officer's gun and then his stun gun, authorities said. They said the officer eventually pinned Leno to the ground, which is when she grabbed two pens from his pocket and attempted to stab him with them. The officer was protected by his ballistic vest.
The victim refused medical attention and does not want to prosecute, according to the arrest report. The report states that the Florida Department of Children and Families was also contacted to investigate the case.
Leno is being held at the Volusia County Jail in lieu of $22,000 bond.