A Florida woman allegedly held two young boys at gunpoint after finding them fishing in a pond near her home. A video recorded by one of the boys’ fathers appears to show Donna Marie Elkins, 59, irate after finding the kids in her backyard. Elkins contacted police to report the boys. When deputies from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office arrived, Elkins allegedly said she decided to scare them, but police thought she took things way too far and arrested her.
According to court documents obtained from People, a 13-year-old and 15-year-old boy allegedly tried to fish in a pond behind Elkins’ Melbourne home on March 28, 2025. When she saw them, she evidently decided to intimidate them with a pellet gun. Elkins called 911 and told a dispatcher she “petrified” the boys. She added she’d “stopped them, and they were laying on the ground.”
Two juvenile witnesses corroborated the story. They reportedly said Elkins came out of the house with a gun and pointed it at the victims.
Terrified, the boys did not move, court documents note. They stayed on the ground until Elkins’ husband came out and disarmed her, per People. When deputies arrived a short time later, the boys repeatedly said they feared for their lives.
According to an affidavit obtained by News 6, “The victims stated that they feared for their life and believed that violence was about to take place,” police wrote. “(Elkins) then by threat ordered the victims onto the ground and stated they could not leave.”
The father of one of the boys took a video of the confrontation and shared it with News 6. IElkins appeared to defend her right to confront them. “(B)ecause if somebody goes in your backyard, you can blow their (expletive) heads off,” she says in the clip. “I have a right to protect my property and my house.”
Police noted the boys were fishing on a peninsula, not Elkins’ property. They ultimately arrested her on two counts of aggravated assault and false imprisonment.
She posted a $25,000 bond, per People. Elkins will appear in court next on April 22.
