A Sanford man is facing three felony charges after police say he broke a young girl's nose and strangled her for about 45 seconds during an argument that started over her cellphone. Travell Levince Coppedge was arrested on October 17 on charges of aggravated child abuse, domestic battery by strangulation, and aggravated battery causing bodily harm, according to Sanford police.
Officers were called to a home on West 16th Street on October 16 after a report of a battery involving a juvenile, as reported by WFTV. When police arrived, they found the girl with a broken nose, facial bruising and active bleeding, according to the arrest report cited by the outlet. Sanford police responded to the West 16th Street home.
Argument Over a Phone Turned Violent, Girl Says
According to the arrest report, the girl told investigators the confrontation began in the living room, where Coppedge punched her face, eye and nose with a closed fist after she held her cellphone away from him. He then allegedly grabbed her neck with both hands and strangled her, leaving her unable to breathe for approximately 45 seconds, per the same report. The station notes that Coppedge took the girl's phone and left the scene in a black Nissan.
When officers interviewed Coppedge after reading him his Miranda rights, he admitted to losing his temper and striking the girl, according to the arrest report. He told officers he had been kicked and punched, but police noted he had no visible marks or bruising consistent with that account, the outlet reports.
Risk Screening Flagged a Potentially Lethal Situation
A domestic violence screening conducted at the scene indicated the girl was in a potentially lethal situation, according to the arrest report. The Florida Senate analysis of CS/CS/HB 729, which identifies SB 638 as a similar bill, describes a required 12-question assessment when domestic violence is alleged against an intimate partner.
An officer also contacted the Florida Department of Children and Families because of the severity of the girl's injuries, according to the arrest report. Under Florida law, officers and citizens alike are required to immediately report suspected child abuse or severe physical injury to the state's Abuse Hotline, which dispatches child protective investigators to work alongside police when severe abuse is reported.
What Coppedge Could Be Facing
Aggravated child abuse is classified as a first-degree felony under Florida law, punishable by up to 30 years in state prison, 30 years of probation and a $10,000 fine. Per Hanlon Law, the offense is ranked a Level 9 under the state's Criminal Punishment Code, meaning a judge would be required to impose a minimum of 48 months in prison upon conviction absent specific downward departure grounds.
The domestic battery by strangulation charge is a third-degree felony carrying up to five years in prison, five years of probation and a $5,000 fine, according to attorney Richard Hornsby. That statute also requires anyone convicted to complete a mandatory 29-week Batterers' Intervention Program, and the conviction cannot be sealed or expunged. The aggravated battery charge tied to the girl's broken nose is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, Hanlon Law notes, applying whenever a defendant intentionally causes great bodily harm or permanent disability during a battery.
Risk Screening in the Case
The arrest report describes the alleged strangulation and says the screening indicated the girl was in a potentially lethal situation.
The case adds to a string of recent Seminole County prosecutions involving violence against children and within families. A separate child sex case is also a death-penalty case, and an April Sanford domestic dispute ended in a life sentence for a gunman.
