Police: 95-Year-Old Arrested For Slapping Granddaughter With Slipper
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (CBS Local) - A Florida great grandmother now has an arrest record after police say they were forced to take the 95-year-old to jail for slapping her granddaughter with a slipper.
The Details:
- 95-year-old Hattie Reynolds was arrested after slapping her granddaughter with a slipper
- Daytona Beach police say they had to take her into custody due to state domestic violence laws
- Reynolds says her 46-year-old granddaughter was using up all of the senior's air conditioning
Daytona Beach Police say that Hattie Reynolds called the department's non-emergency number looking for help on May 5. The 95-year-old homeowner reportedly wanted help getting her granddaughter, Janeen Williams, out of bed after the senior accused her of being lazy and using up all of her home's air conditioning.
"I ain't got nothing to pay bill on air condition all the time for her to go into the room," Reynolds told a dispatcher, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal. "She won't get out of my bed. I want her out of the bed, I don't want to get myself in trouble."
However, things quickly escalated and officers say a shouting match between the two relatives ended with the elderly woman slapping the 46-year-old across the face with a slipper.
Daytona Beach Police Chief Craig Capri told reporters that Reynolds was no threat, but state law on domestic violence incidents require police to arrest her after she admitted to striking her AC-hogging granddaughter. "Under the law domestic violence is a very serious offense and officers' hands are tied," Capri explained.
The police chief added that his officers made sure the slipper-slapping grandmother was made as comfortable as possible while she spent the night in jail. Reynolds was released on her own recognizance the following day. "Only my feet hurt and I need to sit," the 95-year-old said after returning home.
Williams refused to give officers a statement and also did not press charges against her grandmother. The 46-year-old didn't say if she would start listening to Reynolds and stop using up all the air conditioning.
