The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
An off-key incident involving a musically inclined man who created a song with lyrics that upset his neighbor caused her to report him to the police, resulting in his arrest.
Robert Mirabella is a 62-year-old man who lives in a Wildwood, Florida retirement community.
In the morning hours on April 4, Mirabella was reportedly hanging out on his porch while playing around with his guitar.
Mirabella’s next door neighbor was also outside enjoying her porch where she reportedly was able to overhear the man singing while strumming on his instrument. The woman, who was not a fan of the song lyrics, allegedly became rather unsettled and called the authorities to report her dismay over the situation.
When an officer arrived to speak with her, the neighbor claimed that she and Mirabella had been at odds with each other for quite a while. She additionally presented an audio clip to the officer that she said she recorded with her phone during Mirabella’s allegedly distressing performance.
The line of the song that the woman said caused her to take offense was heard as “There is a neighbor who was a bitch. I see her now, she’s just a witch.” The woman disclosed that she believed that he had penned the content as a backhanded tribute to her, and claimed that she had been the victim of his harassment in the past as well.
The officer felt it was reasonable to assume that Mirabella was taunting his neighbor after purporting that his voice was the one in the recording, and he decided to place the at-home musician under arrest.
After Mirabella was Mirandized, the officer reported that the man did not choose to exercise his rights and he gave a statement denying his guilt. He was reported as explaining that even if he had been singing what was heard his neighbor was not necessarily the party addressed in the song.
Mirabella is facing charges for disturbing the peace and he was booked into the county detention center for his allegedly offensive dirty ditty.
If you or someone you love is suspected of disorderly conduct, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.