Fort Lauderdale Police Officer Arrested After Pregnant Woman Alleges Assault
A Fort Lauderdale police officer has been arrested following allegations he physically assaulted a pregnant woman and tried to pressure her into recanting.
According to an arrest affidavit, Officer Timothy Skaggs, 39, faces eight charges, including aggravated battery on a known pregnant victim, false imprisonment, robbery by sudden snatching with a weapon, and two counts of witness tampering.
The incident unfolded the night of May 16 at a Fort Lauderdale apartment. The woman told police that after a confrontation about Skaggs’ alleged infidelity, he took her phone, pushed her down on the bed, and struck her in the face multiple times while pinning her arms. She said he later pulled her into a closet to avoid being overheard by her children.
At one point, she said, he wrapped both hands around her neck. Though her breathing wasn’t cut off, she described the pressure as painful. She also said Skaggs kept her from calling for help by taking both her phone and her daughter’s. Only after threatening to use her son’s phone to call police did he return one of the devices and leave the apartment.
She told police she informed Skaggs that she was pregnant during the encounter.
The affidavit notes Skaggs was on duty and wearing his full uniform when the incident occurred. He left the scene in his marked police cruiser.
Skaggs later went to the Fort Lauderdale Police Department and gave a recorded statement. He initially claimed the woman had struck him, but officers observed no injuries. He admitted to knowing about the pregnancy, though at one point claimed he learned of it only as he was leaving.
Hours later, while the woman was back at her apartment with police, she began receiving blocked phone calls. She put the calls on speaker, and an officer at the scene recognized the voice as Skaggs. The caller pleaded with her to “negate everything” and claimed he was facing a 180-day suspension.
In a public letter, Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Bill Schultz said the department had immediately suspended Skaggs without pay. “The behavior outlined in this arrest affidavit is in direct conflict with the expectations and standards of our department,” Schultz wrote. He added that the internal affairs division is conducting its own investigation and that the agency is working with the Broward Sheriff’s Office and State Attorney’s Office.
The woman told investigators she had endured past abuse but never reported it. This time, she said, she intends to press charges.
Sources: Arrest affidavit; Letter from Fort Lauderdale Police Chief
