Siblings bound over on aggravated battery charges; witness speculates a discrimination motive

A pair of siblings charged with felony aggravated battery were bound over for trial Tuesday after witnesses described an alleged January altercation in which a woman lost six teeth.

Armond, 35, and Lakitcia Enclarde, 36, both of Lawrence, are charged with a single count of aggravated battery stemming from a confrontation inside Fatso’s, 1016 Massachusetts St., that escalated after the group left the business, according to court documents.

Jessica Turner testified Tuesday that she and a group of friends were at Fatso’s the night of Jan. 3 and the early morning hours of Jan. 4. Armond and Lakitcia Enclarde were also at the bar, and during the evening, a male friend of hers was “dancing around,” allegedly annoying Armond.

In her testimony, witness Carla Brown speculated that Armond Enclarde didn’t like the way the man was dancing because the man “is gay and he looks it and acts it.” Lawrence police detective M.T. Brown testified that in an interview, Armond stated he assumed the man was gay, but that was not why he grew annoyed with him.

Carla Brown said she heard Armond Enclarde say, “they shouldn’t let them in,” in reference to her group. That’s when Turner went into “the vicinity” of Armond Enclarde and told him that the man was “just out here having fun.”

Turner and Brown testified that their male friend eventually was kicked out of the bar. Later that night, both Turner’s and the Enclardes’ groups left Fatso’s at the same time.

Turner and Carla Brown testified that as they were walking toward their car on New Hampshire Street, a verbal argument broke out between the groups. During the exchange, Carla Brown testified that a woman in Enclarde’s group told Turner, who said she is gay and dresses in men’s clothing, “If you want to dress like a (man), or act like a (man), you’re going to get beat like a (man.)”

Then “out of nowhere,” Turner said, Armond Enclarde, who is a professional boxing instructor for Title Boxing Club, struck her in the mouth. Turner said she fell to the ground and a woman authorities believe to be Lakitcia Enclarde began “kicking” and “stomping” Turner’s face.

Carla Brown and Turner said that once the altercation ended, Carla Brown picked up Turner’s teeth from the ground and Turner went to Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Turner said she “tore a vertebrae toward her spine” and needed physical therapy after the incident. Turner’s oral surgeon testified that Turner lost three teeth and fractured another three at the root due to “force.” The surgeon said that fixing Turner’s teeth will take at least three surgeries.

After listening to the evidence, Douglas County District Judge Sally Pokorny found there to be probable cause that the Enclardes committed aggravated battery causing great bodily harm or disfigurement and bound the two over for trial.

The Enclardes are out of jail after posting bond. They will next appear in court for a status hearing on Oct. 23.

Pokorny scheduled Lakitcia Enclarde’s jury trial for Nov. 9 and Armond Enclarde’s jury trial for Nov. 16. The trials are expected to last three days each.