A Rockland Key man held his girlfriend against her will and broke her cell phone to keep her from calling for help, according to arrest reports by deputies.
Deputy Josh Gordon was on patrol when he stopped to help a motorist trying to change a tire at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the 22 mile marker of the highway. As the deputy spoke with 22 year old Robert Rupp, he noticed a woman sitting in the back seat of the car who appeared to be in distress. Rupp told Deputy Gordon it was his girlfriend and they’d been in an argument.
Deputy Gordon asked the woman to exit the car and speak to him. When she did, she motioned toward his patrol car asking if she could get in to the car. She told the deputy Rupp was her boyfriend and she was trying to get away from him. She said he’d taken her phone from her and had broken it.
Sgt. Trevor Wirth arrived on the scene to back up Deputy Gordon. Deputy Wirth stayed with the victim while Deputy Gordon spoke with Rupp, who admitted he had been driving and he did not have a valid driver’s license. A check on his name revealed an outstanding warrant for violation of probation. He was arrested.
The victim told Sgt. Wirth the two were arguing on Crane Boulevard and she tried to get out of the car, but he wouldn’t let her. She said Rupp drove home to Rockland Key and pulled her out of the car, throwing her to the ground. She said a neighbor was watching, so Rupp forced her back into the vehicle and began driving northbound. At one point, she said he hit a barricade, causing damage to the side of the car and causing the flat tire. She said when she tried to call for help on her cell phone, he broke it.
Rupp was charged with false imprisonment and battery in addition to the outstanding warrant. He was booked into jail.