Silent 9-1-1 Call Sparks Winter Haven Police Response

WINTER HAVEN, FL — A silent 9-1-1 call sparked a police response at a Winter Haven apartment complex Wednesday night when a dispatcher heard glass breaking over the phone.

"The caller was not speaking and the call taker heard glass breaking," according to Jamie Brown of the Winter Haven Police Department.

Brown said police attempted to search the Abbey Lane Apartments complex to find the apartment where the sound came from, but eventually ran into the female victim who was shaken and crying with swelling on her face.

Thirty-three-year-old Rahsann Eaton was taken into custody early Thursday morning and charged with armed burglary with assault/battery, escape, tampering with a witness and touch/strike/injuring police dog.

Police said Eaton returned to the apartment complex after the victim had already taken her children to a family member's home for the night.

"I am so proud of the way our officers continued to search for this guy throughout the night, ultimately putting him where he belongs," Winter Haven Public Safety Director Charlie Bird said. "Our victim and her children can hopefully begin picking up the pieces after such violent encounters they endured."

Police said Eaton put a knife to the victim's throat at one point and told her: "You want to call the cops on me? I'll kill you." Brown said the victim was able to wrestle the knife away from Eaton and threw it out of an upstairs window.

"Eaton caught the victim, tore off her shirt and wrapped his bleeding hand and left the area with her cellphone just prior officers arriving to the apartment complex," Brown said

She said Eaton broke a window in the rear of the apartment, which is the sound the dispatcher heard.

A police K-9 bit Eaton as he was being taken into custody and Eaton later tried to escape from Winter Haven Hospital, where he was being treated for the dog bite, Brown said.

"Eaton began wrestling officers again and was able to break free," she explained. "As he ran through the parking lot, officers deployed a department-issued electronic control device ... which was effective, and took Eaton back into custody."

Eaton was also charged with possession of firearm by a convicted felon and felony battery for an incident that occurred Tuesday involving the same victim.