Gainesville woman arrested for intentionally hitting vehicle with her car door

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Leigh Ann Franklin, 40, was arrested today for allegedly intentionally hitting another vehicle with her car door in April.

The responding Gainesville Police Department officer reported that at about 8:30 a.m. on April 18, the victim and a friend were sitting in the front seat of his vehicle, waiting for Chase Bank (2916 SW 35th Drive) to open so he could go to work. The victim told the officer that by company policy, he cannot speak with people before opening or entering the bank.

A van pulled into the parking space on the passenger side of the victim’s vehicle, with both vehicles facing toward the bank, and the driver of the van reportedly reached through her open window and started tapping on the passenger side window of the victim’s vehicle, saying she needed the victim to move his vehicle so she could get out of her van.

The victim said he did not respond because of the company’s policy, and as far as he could tell, he was properly parked between both white lines. He said the woman began screaming at him, and when he still didn’t respond, she reportedly said, “Fine, I’m going to hit your car!”

The woman allegedly opened her door “aggressively” and intentionally hit the victim’s vehicle with her car door; she then drove away, still screaming at the victim, and then drove back around and allegedly opened her door again, hitting the front bumper of the victim’s car before circling again and eventually driving away.

The victim and witnesses all reported that the woman was driving a white Dodge van, and they provided a description of her. The victim also made a note of her tag, which came back to a white Dodge van. One witness took photos of the woman, and that witness positively identified Franklin in a photo lineup.

A second witness said he was sitting in his vehicle with his windows open, heard screaming, and looked around to see a woman in a white van screaming at the victim. The witness said the victim did not say a single word and made no movements toward the woman as she screamed at him. He saw the woman slam her door into the victim’s door before driving around the parking lot a few times, still screaming. This witness also took a photo of the woman.

A third witness, a security guard at the bank, reportedly saw the entire incident and corroborated the accounts of the victim and the other witnesses.

The damage to the victim’s car was estimated at about $2,500.

Officers made several attempts to locate Franklin but were unsuccessful. A warrant for her arrest on a charge of felony property damage was issued on June 11 by Judge Denise Ferrero, who ordered her released on her own recognizance. Franklin has no criminal convictions.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.