He beat her and dragged her by the hair. So she grabbed the lawnmower, cops say

By Miami Herald

Early Sunday morning, chaos and violence erupted in one Vero Beach household.

According to a police report provided by the Indian River County Sheriff's Office, at around 3:15 a.m. deputies responded to a disturbance call and discovered a distraught woman with clumps of hair missing. She also had marks on her face and her hand was bleeding.

The victim told deputies that she and her live-in boyfriend, Travis Pippin, had gotten into a "verbal disturbance" that had escalated.

The woman recounted that Pippin grabbed her by the hair, threw her to the ground and kicked and hit her. She then stated that the suspect dragged her into the front yard so she attempted to hold onto a lawnmower.

The machine ended up cutting her hand (it is unclear if the lawnmower was off or on when she gripped it).

Pippin soon fled the scene.

After receiving a description of the man (a bald, white, blue eyed male with numerous tattoos and no shirt), deputies set out to look for him, soon finding Pippin on a street nearby. He wasn't hard to find.

His six tattoos, according to the arrest affidavit, include the words "Punished" and "Unfairly" on his right and left calves, respectively.

When asked about the incident, the 32-year-old refused to speak, eventually telling deputies, "I don't know what you're talking about," according to the police report.

Pippin, who is unemployed and has a rap sheet, was arrested and booked into Indian River County Jail on a misdemeanor battery domestic violence charge. He posted $1,500 bond and was released. 

His court date is set for May 8.