Florida woman goes on an armed rampage over a ‘stolen’ phone that was in her Ford Explorer the whole time
Key West police say a friendly Friday night drinking session spiraled into chaos last weekend. A 57-year-old woman convinced herself a stranger had stolen her cell phone. Plot twist: the phone wasn’t missing at all. Officers later found it lying on the driver’s side floorboard of her Ford Explorer.
Authorities identified the woman as Gail Marie Stephenson. She told officers she’d been at the American Legion hall earlier in the evening. Feeling nice, she gave a ride home to a younger man she didn’t know. What happened next, though, left everyone in a sour state.
It all started when she realized she didn’t have her phone. Stephenson held firm that the young man somehow stole it. Her insistence, paired with alcohol and a revolver, drew officers to the 1300 block of Ashby Street around 10 p.m.
When police arrived, Stephenson stood outside her SUV
She smelled of alcohol and admitted she had several drinks that night. While she denied being armed, officers soon learned otherwise. They later recovered a loaded revolver hidden inside a purple Crown Royal bag behind a trash can on a nearby property.
Witnesses reported more troubling behavior before police arrived. A 52-year-old man said Stephenson pulled up outside his house, honked repeatedly, and demanded help.
When he walked over with a flashlight, she pointed a revolver at his chest before setting it down and telling him she had been robbed. She then accused a nearby resident of harboring the supposed thief, Local 10 News shared.
The woman who lived at that home told police Stephenson forced her way through a closed fence gate, banged on her door, and left when no one answered.
Officers pieced together the timeline through multiple calls from residents reporting a woman with a revolver moving from house to house. They later matched those calls to Stephenson.
Police arrested her on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, armed trespassing, and evidence tampering. She was booked into Monroe County jail, but got out by Monday morning. Her arraignment is scheduled for October 10.
