A grandmother and teenage girl were arrested last week over alleged threats, false imprisonment, and other offenses against another group of teenagers at Palm Coast’s Ralph Carter Park. 64-year-old Allyson Pease-Frankel was accused of bringing a pit bull and trapping the teenagers inside a park bathroom.
The incident arose over an apparent dispute on May 24. The 13-year-old teenager in question was said to have tried to start a fight with one of the other teenagers at Ralph Carter Park. The two are said to have fought, leading to hair-pulling before the skirmish was broken up.
That same night, she allegedly drove with other individuals to the other teen’s house before messaging multiple teens to come outside and fight. Deputies with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office were called, but left after deciding that the dispute was verbal in nature.
Messaging between the parties is said to have continued into the morning of May 25. Between phone calls and messages on social media platforms, the 13-year-old suspect allegedly renewed calls to fight and sent threats to kill two other individuals.
Following this, the teen and her grandmother Allyson Pease-Frankel reportedly issued threats to bring a pit bull to a subsequent meetup. That same day, a group of five teenagers arrived at Ralph Carter Park again. Pease-Frankel and her granddaughter did as well.
Alleged Incident at Ralph Carter Park
Upon their arrival, Pease-Frankel is said to have brought the pit bull as promised. Her party reportedly arrived in three vehicles. The five juveniles reportedly locked themselves in a public restroom. Pease-Frankel then brought the dog to the door, the FCSO says, and began trying to push and kick the door open.
All five victims were locked inside the restroom for several minutes as they called for help. While they were inside, the teen suspect is said to have taken a phone, clothes, and other items that belonged to the group from a picnic table and thrown them into a retention pond.
Pease-Frankel was arrested for false imprisonment. She was booked into the county jail on the afternoon of May 28 and released on bond later that day. She has no prior arrests on record in Flagler County. The 13-year-old was charged with two counts of written threats to kill, as well as grand theft for the taking of the teens’ things.
Sheriff Rick Staly Weighs In
“It is not uncommon for teens to have disagreements with one another, but violence is never the answer and can lead to lifelong consequences,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Rather than deescalate this situation, Grandma chose to run backup for this teen’s poor decisions and now she has earned herself a trip to the [county jail] as well. Granny 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.
“Summer break is in full swing, and children have plenty of time on their hands,” Staly continued. “Let this be 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.”
