The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 13-year-old girl and her grandmother following an investigation into an incident at a city park that began as a reported theft and resulted in charges of false imprisonment, assault and written threats to kill.
On May 25, deputies responded to Ralph Carter Park in Palm Coast after receiving a report that a juvenile victim’s sweater and cellphone had been stolen. Through investigative means, detectives determined the theft stemmed from an ongoing dispute between two juveniles over a planned fight.
The conflict began the day before, when M.P., 13, of Palm Coast, tried to provoke one of the victims into fighting at the same park, leading to a brief altercation in which she pulled the victim’s hair before the two were separated. Later that night, M.P. and others drove to the victim’s neighborhood, where M.P. called and messaged several juveniles to come outside and fight. Deputies responded and determined it was a verbal dispute, and the group left.
The messages continued into the early morning. In a series of phone calls and social media messages, M.P. repeatedly demanded a fight and threatened to kill two of the victims. Both M.P. and her grandmother, Allyson Pease-Frankel, 64, of Palm Coast, also warned they would bring a pit bull to the park.
That afternoon, five juveniles walked to Ralph Carter Park, where M.P. continued to call and threaten to fight them and bring the dog.
Detectives determined a group of adults and juveniles arrived at the park in three vehicles, one of them carrying a pit bull. As the group advanced, the victims ran into a public restroom and locked the door. Pease-Frankel took possession of the dog and walked directly toward the restroom, dropping the leash as she reached the door. Her granddaughter followed with the rest of the group.
With the five victims locked inside, Pease-Frankel pushed on the restroom door with enough force to make it flex, and M.P. kicked the door multiple times. The victims, who had called for help, were unable to leave and remained trapped for several minutes until the group left the park.
“It is not uncommon for teens to have disagreements with one another, but violence is never the answer and can lead to lifelong consequences. 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 Green Roof Inn as well,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “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.”
While the victims sheltered inside, M.P. took a cellphone, clothing and other items that had been left on a nearby picnic table when they fled. Detectives determined she discarded the items in a retention pond behind the restroom. Based on the investigation and the value of the cellphone, deputies arrested her for felony grand theft.
After coordinating with the State Attorney’s Office, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Pease-Frankel on charges for false imprisonment for bringing the dog to the park and advancing on the children as they sheltered in the restroom (the assault charge). They also obtained an arrest warrant for M.P. for two counts of written threats to kill, a second-degree felony, and grand theft.
Both were transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where Pease-Frankel is being held on a $5,000 bond. M.P. was processed and transferred to the Department of Juvenile Justice. The case remains active.
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