CAPE CORAL, Fla. -- An elderly Cape Coral woman is speaking out, after she was arrested for scaring people off her property with a gun.
She's now facing aggravated assault charges. The incident happened Saturday when 78-year-old Flor Marcelo noticed a boat parked partially under her dock. She and her husband have several crab traps in the area, as well as signs that say 'no fishing' and 'no trespassing.'
Three people were on the boat. Marcelo said they tied the boat up to her post. Being alone at her home, she grew concerned. "I was partially scared," said Marcelo. "I cannot sleep here when he [her husband] is not around."
That's when she took matters into her own hands. "I thought I would confront them and scare them with my gun," she said.
In attempt to scare them off, an arrest report says she came out of her house with a plastic grocery bag, with a gun inside. The report says she then stated, "I don't want to kill you, but I have a gun."
Her scare tactic worked, as the three fishermen left. However, soon after, she got an unexpected knock on the door. Police arrived to arrest her, for allegedly pointing the gun at the three alleged trespassers.
She showed Fox 4 bruises sustained after being in handcuffs. She spent the night in jail. However, she says she never actually pointed her gun at the anyone. "I did not point the gun at anybody, I just showed them the gun," she said.
In the arrest report, the three victims stated they felt Marcelo was not handling the gun properly and felt threatened. Now Marcelo will have to dispute those claims in court.
She tells Fox 4 that next time, she'll take a different approach to trespassers. "Call the cops! That's what they told me, call the cops!"
