Former South Florida football coach Jim Leavitt was arrested on Monday evening in St. Petersburg, Fla., on a felony grand theft charge and misdemeanor charges of simple battery and domestic battery.
Leavitt, 68, grabbed his ex-girlfriend by the arm as she tried to walk away and took her Louis Vuitton purse, clutch bag and wallet and would not give them back as she attempted to leave, according to arrest affidavits filed in Pinellas County, Fla. Leavitt admitted to authorities that he withheld the items, which are valued between $5,000 and $10,000.
According to a separate affidavit, Leavitt shoved a man in the chest a few minutes later. Leavitt told authorities that the man “walked into his right hand, making contact with the victim’s chest,” per the affidavit.
Leavitt was USF’s first fo