FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Fort Lauderdale police officer is facing a string of felony charges after authorities said he assaulting his pregnant girlfriend while on duty and in uniform this past weekend.
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Officer Timothy Skaggs, 40, was arrested and charged with aggravated battery of a pregnant victim, false imprisonment, two counts of domestic battery, two counts of witness tampering, and two counts of robbery by sudden snatching with a firearm or weapon, according to a police report obtained by Local 10 News on Wednesday.
The charges stem from an incident on May 17 when officers were called to a home near the 1500 block of West Commercial Boulevard just after 3 p.m. in reference to a domestic disturbance.
A woman told police that Skaggs, her boyfriend of two and a half years, had struck her multiple times before fleeing the scene, according to the report.
The woman told investigators the altercation began the night before when Skaggs arrived at her apartment and they argued over his infidelity issues.
She said that after asking him to leave, Skaggs grabbed her phone, pushed her onto the bed and told her to stop contacting people, the report stated.
Authorities said shortly after, Skaggs pinned her down, grabbed her wrist and forced her own fist into her face multiple times. He also attempted to strangle her, though police noted it was not with “extreme force.”
She said the attack occurred while her children were in another room and heard her yelling for help. The woman managed to escape and called 911 from her son’s phone after Skaggs fled, according to police.
Investigators said the woman also told officers she was several weeks pregnant and had shown Skaggs a positive pregnancy test earlier that day. She said he was in full police uniform at the time of the attack.
Skaggs, of Boynton Beach, later admitted during a phone call, monitored by police, that he knew about the pregnancy, and pleaded with the woman to retract her statement.
“I am going to lose my job,” he said, according to the report. “Call them now. Negate everything. Say you were drinking.”
The victim told detectives she had previously been abused by Skaggs and had documented bruises from earlier incidents. One of her children confirmed hearing “banging” and their mother yelling during the encounter, the report stated.
Fort Lauderdale Police Department Chief William Schultz said in a statement that Skaggs was placed on paid administrative leave following his arrest.
“In accordance with departmental policy and procedures, Timothy Skaggs was immediately placed on administrative leave, with pay, pending formal charges filed by the State Attorney’s Office,” Schultz said. “At the conclusion of these criminal proceedings, a full internal investigation will be conducted by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department’s Office of Internal Affairs.”
Schultz added, “The alleged behavior will not be tolerated and is not representative of the men and women of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.”
Jail records show Skaggs is being held on a $32,000 bond. He appeared in bond court on Wednesday, where a judge ordered him to have no contact with the victim, not return to her apartment, and to surrender any guns or weapons in his possession.
It is unclear why Skaggs had been previously placed on an 180-day suspension by the department.
