A Mount Dora man and a Leesburg woman are behind bars after a nasty custody battle erupted at an Ocala residence.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy was called to a residence on NE 63rd Court on Monday and when he arrived, 32-year-old Christopher Carl Emery demanded that he state his name for his camera “and then go and make contact with the children,” who he claimed were “abducted” by their father.
The deputy then spoke with the victim, who said that Emery and his wife, had been sitting in front of his house in their vehicle for several hours. And he said that Emery had repeatedly tried to get his attention by shouting for him, a sheriff’s office report states.
Deputies had responded to the same location earlier and told Emery to stay off the victim’s property. But after they left, Emery posted a YouTube video of himself yelling that the victim was a child molester, the report says, adding that Emery yelled it loud enough for the neighbors to hear his claim.
At about 8 p.m., the sheriff’s office’s communication center received a call from Emery telling them that he was going to use “lethal force” to enter the residence and retrieve the children from the victim. The victim and his wife reported being afraid Emery would attempt to harm them and they wouldn’t be able to leave their house the next day or leave the children unattended, the report says.
At the residence, deputies also spotted 35-year-old Carrie Marie Huffman sitting behind the wheel of a blue Jeep. A deputy who spoke with Huffman – it’s unclear from the reports if or how she’s connected to Emery – observed several indicators that led him to believe she may have been impaired. So he asked her to participate in field sobriety tests, which she agreed to do. A short time later the deputy determined she was impaired and she was placed under arrest.
Both Emery and Huffman were transported to the Marion County Jail. Emery, who lives at 1420 Plymouth Ave. in Mount Dora, was charged with aggravated stalking and disturbing the peace. He was being held on $15,000 bond and is due in court July 9 at 9 a.m.
Huffman, who lives at 34837 1st Ave. in Leesburg, provided two breath samples that showed 0.00 blood-alcohol content. She agreed to provide a urine sample and participate in a drug influence evaluation. The deputy, who is a certified drug recognition expert, stated that he believed Huffman was “impaired by cannabis and unable to operate a vehicle safely,” the report says.
Huffman was then charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and held on $1,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on July 18 at 8 a.m.