Woman charged with battering pregnant woman

A Lake Placid woman was arrested Wednesday for allegedly battering two women, one of whom was pregnant.

Carolyn Armstead, 22, is charged with a felony charge of aggravated battery where the offender knew or should have known the victim was pregnant and a misdemeanor battery charge.

She remained in the Highlands County Jail Friday under a $10,000 bond. Her arrest report lists Armstead's street names as "Care Bear" and "Carrie."

Highlands County Sheriff's Deputy Kenneth Cooper went to a Lake Placid home after getting a call about a fight between Armstead and the two other women.

"Upon arrival, (Cooper) observed broken glass on the floor of the family/living room which subsequent investigation provided was a broken candle and jar in which it was encased," Cooper wrote in the arrest report.

One of the women told the deputy she and Armstead had started arguing and the suspect started "cussing profusely," which made her son start to cry.

The victim told Armstead she was not a good mom and said she needed to leave the house, the report stated.

Armstead reportedly made a fist and told the woman, "I could just hit you in the face." The argument continued before the suspect is said to have started hitting the victim in the face several times.

The other woman stepped in to try and break up the fight, but found herself hit in the left forearm and upper chest area by Armstead, the report stated.

"(She) stated Carolyn then picked up a candle which was sitting on a dresser in the family room and threw it at (her), striking her person in the left side above her hip," according to the report.

The second victim told Cooper Armstead knew she was more than eight months pregnant.