ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Jim Leavitt, the former head football coach for the USF Bulls, found himself in hot water again after he was arrested on Monday night in Pinellas County.
What we know:
According to an arrest affidavit, Leavitt struck his former live-in girlfriend around 7 p.m. at the Ibis Walk Apartments in St. Petersburg.
Records state he grabbed the woman as she tried to walk away and a witness at the scene confirmed the victim’s account of what happened.
Leavitt is also accused of taking a Louis Vuitton purse, clutch and wallet, worth between $5,000-$10,000.
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In that incident, Leavitt was charged with domestic battery and grand theft.
Courtesy: Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Another arrest affidavit from Monday night states that Leavitt struck a man at the same apartment complex, but did not cause bodily harm.
He is also accused of pushing that man on his chest.
The defendant pushed Leavitt once on the chest, according to the affidavit.
In that incident, Leavitt was charged with simple battery. A judge set bond totaling $7,000 for all three charges.
Dig deeper:
According to the USF website, Leavitt was the first football coach in USF history. He was hired in 1996 and led the Bulls for 13 seasons. He compiled a program-best 95-57 record while leading the Bulls to a No. 2 national ranking in 2007 and five straight bowl games (winning three).
Leavitt was fired in 2010 after a school investigation found that he grabbed one of his players by the throat, slapped him in the face and lied about it, according to ESPN.
Leavitt was selected to be inducted into the USF Athletic Hall of Fame in the Class of 2025. The induction ceremony is scheduled for Oct. 2.
USF provided a statement to FOX 13 saying:
“We are aware of the situation and are gathering information.”
The other side:
Following his court appearance on Tuesday, Leavitt’s attorney, Lucas Fleming, responded to the charges.
“He believes he did nothing wrong in this situation,” Fleming said. “[It’s a] misunderstanding that we hope will be resolved in a favorable way for Mr. Love it at some time when we have the ability to make these comments and arguments to the State Attorney’s Office.”
The Source: This story was written with arrest affidavits from the St. Petersburg Police Department, an interview with Leavitt’s attorney, along with additional details from ESPN.