A Florida woman and her teen granddaughter have been arrested after they allegedly got into a fight with five kids at a park, and the grandmother allegedly trapped the kids in a bathroom.
Deputies in Flagler County confirmed in a Facebook statement on Sunday, May 31, that Allyson Pease-Frankel was arrested for false imprisonment, and her 13-year-old granddaughter is facing two counts of written threats to kill and one count of grand theft in juvenile court.
The incident began on May 24 when the teen allegedly tried to “provoke” one of the victims into fighting at Ralph Carter Park in Palm Coast, according to police. The teen allegedly pulled her rival’s hair, but they were quickly separated before the fight could escalate.
The teen later went back to the victim’s neighborhood and tried to spark another fight, though nothing came of her attempts. Deputies eventually responded to the scene and determined the incident was a verbal argument before they left.
On May 25, Pease-Frankel, 64, got involved in the conflict and allegedly said she would bring a pit bull to the park for the fight. Additionally, deputies said that the granddaughter threatened to kill two of the victims.
When it was finally time to fight, Pease-Frankel and her granddaughter met five teens at the park with the pit bull. The victims then ran into a bathroom in an attempt to hide from the grandmother, her granddaughter and the pit bull.
“With the five victims locked inside, Pease-Frankel pushed on the restroom door with enough force to make it flex, and [her granddaughter] kicked the door multiple times,” police said. “The victims, who had called for help, were unable to leave and remained trapped for several minutes until the group left the park.”
Following the incident, Sheriff Rick Staly said that Pease-Frankel should not have encouraged her granddaughter to get into the fight and instead should have de-escalated the situation.
“It is not uncommon for teens to have disagreements with one another, but violence is never the answer and can lead to lifelong consequences. Rather than deescalate this situation, Grandma chose to run backup for this teen’s poor decisions,” he said in a statement included in the Facebook post.
He added that Pease-Frankel “certainly won’t win the grandma of the year award.”
“Parents and grandparents, act like adults and teach your children and grandchildren the proper and legal way to handle disagreements by modeling the correct behavior,” Staly continued.
Staly added that the incident should act as a “reminder for parents and guardians to be the sheriff of your own home and know where your kids are at all times. Stay involved and talk to them about making good decisions and the consequences of their actions.”
Pease-Frankel was arrested on Thursday, May 28, and was taken into custody at Flagler County Jail. She has since been released after posting a $5,000 bond. Meanwhile, Pease-Frankel’s granddaughter was taken to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
It is not currently clear if either Pease-Frankel or her granddaughter have retained legal counsel or entered pleas. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office had no additional updates to share when contacted by Us Weekly about the case.
