The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A 59-year-old woman from Florida is facing charges after allegedly holding two teenagers who were fishing near her home at gunpoint with a fake weapon that they believed was real.
On March 28, two teens, ages 13 and 15, were fishing near a residence in Melbourne. Though they were reportedly past the property line, the woman who lives in the home believed they were in her backyard. She allegedly intervened before notifying the authorities. According to reports, the woman approached the boys with what looked like a firearm but was later identified as a pellet gun. The teens, who dropped to the ground when they saw her, reported that they were afraid and believed the gun was real. The woman allegedly threatened to shoot them in their heads as they lay on the ground. A few minutes later, her husband went up to her and took the faux firearm away from her.
The woman called the authorities and told them what happened, and deputies from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office went to the address to investigate. When they talked to the teens, the boys gave their account of what happened and added that they thought the woman was going to shoot and kill them. When the piece was inspected, the authorities confirmed that it was a long pellet gun and not a real firearm. They also asserted that the boys were over 25 feet from the woman’s property line.