[FL] Who put 10 bruises on Deputy Francis' girlfriend?

...Francis is denying the allegations...

Deputy charged in domestic case
Bradenton Herald, United States - 11 hours ago
By BETH BURGER
bburger@bradenton.com
December 02, 2007
A Manatee County Sheriff's Office deputy was free on bond Saturday after a Friday night arrest on a charge of domestic battery after striking his live-in girlfriend repeatedly during arguments last week... Chris Francis, 25... was released on a $500 bond... The girlfriend was at first unresponsive, the reports state, but began crying and trembling when she was questioned. In the interview, she said she was thrown violently from the couple's bed causing bruising on her thigh... Francis became upset at her when she did not lay out his uniform properly or on time. He allegedly smacked the upper back of her thigh causing a one-inch long welt... She said she could not sit down because of the injury "I feel threatened by Chris Francis because he verbally abused me many times and pushed me down the stairs. I was unconscious and my son, who is seven-years-old, saw this abuse happen. It all began because I didn't do the laundry right"... The girlfriend's statement said Francis had told one of her co-workers he wanted her dead. Francis' girlfriend was checked out by emergency medical services and she filled out an injunction against Francis. Investigators documented a total of 10 bruises on his girlfriend's back, arms, legs and buttocks. The woman told deputies the bruises had been inflicted over a two-week period when Francis allegedly hit her with his fists... The couple had been living together for 11 months, according to reports. The woman told deputies the abuse had been going on for about 10 months. Francis' girlfriend turned over all firearms to police as well as some contraband drugs... [Sheriff's spokesman Dave] Bristow said he was was unaware drugs were found in the home. He said it's possible investigators can't prove who they belong to... Neighbors said there were as many as nine squad cars responding to the home, and deputies had roped it off with crime scene Friday evening, an unusual step in a domestic violence complaint. "When there's a deputy involved you make sure everything is covered thoroughly," Bristow said. Beth Burger, Herald criminal justice reporter, can be reached at 708-7919.