NEWS

911 call released: 9-year-old faces aggravated assault charges

Michael Braun
MBRAUN@NEWS-PRESS.COM
LCSO

The above video contains audio only.

(FORT MYERS, Fla.) OCT. 20— A 9-year-old Fort Myers boy is facing two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of battery after he struck his sister in the head with his hands and a TV remote and then brandished a butcher knife in front of his sister and grandmother.

A report from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said the boy was being watched by his grandmother while his father was at work shortly before 8:30 p.m. on Monday, October 19. Deputies were called to the Louise Street home on a report of the aggravated assault involving the butcher knife.

The grandmother, 71, told deputies that her grandson became upset at her and his sister, 11, over personal issues and began striking the sister on the head with his hands and a television remote control. The report also said the grandmother told deputies that the boy tried to pull her to the ground.

The grandmother also said the boy then got a butcher knife from a kitchen drawer and began walking toward his sister and the grandmother.

The report said that the boy put the knife back after his sister called police. Both the sister and grandmother told deputies that they were in fear for their lives when the boy was pointing the knife at then and got to within four feet.

The sister told deputies she called them not to get her brother to get in trouble, but just to scare him. Because the action is considered domestic violence, deputies told the girl and it didn’t matter if the reporting party wanted to press charges.

Deputies questioned the boy and determined he knew what he had done and that it was wrong. The report indicated the boy appeared remorseful.

The boy’s father told deputies his son had been experiencing a lot of personal turmoil in the family and had been scheduled for therapy Tuesday.

The boy was arrested and will appear in court on Nov. 5 to face two felony charges of aggravated assault, a charge of battery on a person 65 or older and another charge of battery.