A tourist on vacation in Florida allegedly attempted to drown his daughter-in-law during an argument over his will and was only stopped by his granddaughter and neighbors, who called 911.
According to a press release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred on Sunday in Davenport, which is close to Walt Disney World and other theme parks.
Deputies were dispatched to the Solterra Resort on Pine Tree Trail around 5:19 p.m. for a disturbance in a backyard swimming pool.
According to the victim and witnesses, 62-year-old Mark Raymond Gibbon of Beaconsfield, England, about 25 miles west of London, repeatedly pushed the 33-year-old woman underwater during the fight.
The family was on vacation when Gibbon and his daughter-in-law argued over the “stipulations of his will,” according to a probable cause arrest affidavit.
The complaint accused Gibbon of “pushing her under the water and holding her down multiple times.” She reportedly attempted to flee, but he kept pushing her back down.
“She advised that she could not breathe and believed that she was going to drown,” according to deputies. “[The victim] advised that she had to fight Mark in order to get away from him and from under the water but he kept pushing her back under.”
According to cops, the victim’s 9-year-old daughter saw what was going on and “jumped into the pool” to defend her mother. The girl attempted to persuade him to stop, but Gibbon allegedly pushed her away.
The victim saw some neighbors and yelled for them to call 911. Gibbon allegedly came to a halt when the neighbors announced that they were calling the sheriff’s office.
Deputies arrived at the scene and arrested Gibbon. Following his Miranda warnings, he allegedly admitted to pushing his daughter-in-law underwater but claimed he did not intend to drown her. He claimed they were drinking when they got to talking about the will, and she slapped him, which he claimed triggered the fight.
The daughter-in-law reportedly received a few scratches.
Gibbon was arrested for attempted second-degree murder and battery. He is still in the Polk County Jail without bond. His next court date is scheduled for September 9.
“It’s great that Polk County attracts visitors from all over the world, but we expect vacationers to behave just as well as our long-term residents.
Mr. Gibbon may spend a lot more time in Florida than he expected because he couldn’t control his anger, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
