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Domestic Abuse Rises On Holiday

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By MIKE WELLS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 27, 2007

Family violence kept law enforcement busy across Hillsborough County on Christmas.

Twenty-one people were arrested Tuesday on domestic battery charges, records show. That was about one-quarter of the 85 inmates booked into Orient Road Jail and nearly double the number charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Last year, about 9 percent of those arrested Christmas Day were booked on domestic violence charges.

The violence detailed in Tuesday's arrest reports ranges in seriousness from an adult daughter, Teresa Jane Smith, 26, of Riverview, accused of shoving her mother into a door, to a former Valrico resident, 27-year-old Michael Howard, charged with punching and choking his ex-girlfriend in his car.

"The holidays can be a stressful time for people," said Tampa Police Department Cpl. Jared Douds. "Things can get worse if you throw alcohol in the mix."

Since 2003, domestic battery has accounted for 9 percent to 25 percent of Hillsborough jail inmates booked on Christmas Day, records show. In 2005, domestic battery arrests peaked at 25 of 102 people booked.

"It's a no-brainer," Douds said. "It's that time of year."

Police urge victims to seek counseling and, when necessary, take them to a shelter for battered women and children, he said.

"We can sit down, explain options," Douds said. "Sometimes we tell them it might be a good idea just to spend some time apart."

In addition to alcohol problems, family and financial concerns add to the stress, Hillsborough County sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said.

"However, there's not one thing you can attribute domestic violence to," Carter said. "You have people all stuck together in the same house for several days."

Reporter Mike Wells can be reached at (813) 259-7839 or mwells@tampatrib.com.

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