The Hammock Beach Resort Saturday night was the scene of a wedding-crashing that went out of control and resulted in a violent confrontation between a bridesmaid and another woman, a bathroom brawl, and finally with the other woman’s arrest and jailing.
On Saturday 20-year-old Shelby McDowell’s boyfriend—ex-boyfriend, according to him—told her he was invited to a wedding at Palm Coast’s Hammock Beach Resort. McDowell was not invited. She decided to go uninvited and, as she told Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies later, according to her arrest report, spy on Darby Johns, her 26-year-old boyfriend, or ex.
At Hammock Beach, she walked into the ballroom and saw Johns dancing with 25-year-old Crystal Munoz, and kissing her. She walked up to them and allegedly threw a drink on both of them and punched Munoz in the left eye. She then ran to the women’s rest room and hid in a stall. But several women from the bridal party rushed the rest room, “pulled her out of the stall by her feet and they began to punch her,” according to her arrest report.
Other guests and Hammock resort security broke up the fight.
When a deputy made contact with Munoz she was “somewhat intoxicated” (nothing unusual at a wedding) but she had “a swollen left cheekbone and blood shot left eye.” The way she remembered it, she and Johns were merely walking to the ballroom when “someone” threw a drink at them. Munoz said she was then “punched in her left eye twice and when she turned around, she saw a woman running away.” She was among the bridesmaids who rushed the bathroom stall, where she recognized McDowell.
But she did so, she told deputies, by looking under the stall door, not by going after McDowell. McDowell, in her telling, just left the stall and “that is when things got crazy and she left the bathroom.” Munoz wanted to pursue charges, and was shaken up to the point of not being able to fill out the a sworn written statement.
Johns corroborated much the same story as Munoz, describing having a drink thrown at him as he was walking to the ballroom with Munoz. It was later, during the commotion around the bathroom, that he said he was told the woman “running away” was his girlfriend. Johns told deputies he and McDowell were no longer an item. It’s not clear if that was as a result of the confrontation or whether it had preceded the events of Saturday night.
Resort manager Kevin Amico told deputies that he rushed to the scene of the commotion but did not immediately go into the women’s bathroom, as he presumed that “members of the bridal party were in the bathroom and indecent,” according to the arrest report. He radioed for a female security officer, but then heard screaming coming from within. At that point there was no choice: he and Pasquale Vallone, another male officer, “entered the bathroom and he saw two females fighting,” with McDowell allegedly on top of Munoz. McDowell, the manager said, was punching Munoz and Munoz was covering her face to protect herself. In Vallone’s description, he saw “two women grabbing and swinging fists at each other.”
Amico (his last name is Italian for “friend”) separated the two women with help from Vallone and a third officer who’d arrived at the scene, Casey Plummer. Munoz was escorted out. McDowell stayed in the bathroom until sheriff’s deputies arrived.
By then McDowell was bleeding from the lips, as she would be when deputies arrived.
McDowell, a resident of Lake Butler in Union County, was booked at the Flagler County jail on a battery charge after midnight Sunday morning and released on her own recognizance 12 hours later.
ASF says
Ah, yeah, keep it classy!
Hopeful says
She saw her boyfriend with another woman and punched the woman. Classic.
Violet says
Well, you just can’t make this stuff up!!!
Violet says
At least, she smiles for the camera. Press charges….
Yourstruly says
ROR? Really??!!!
USA Lover says
Don’t rile up them there Lake Butler redneck gals.
Anonymous says
I do not know any of these people but I do know this was a wedding that I worked and I will say for sure along with 22 other banquet servers that no report was taken from us ( the sober ones). The other 2 girls should have been arrested as well! This night was a complete and total nightmare !!!
Sw says
Just a usual good ole fun time on a Saturday night here in Flagler Cty.
GT says
Love is grand and even a bad wedding is still 50 grand
blondee says
Best thing I’ve read on the internet so far today!! :)
Shelby McDowell says
Hey, I’m actually the one in the mugshot! He told me he was going to a wedding without me and he didn’t have a plus one. Weird right? Anyways, I was told that he and Crystal were getting too friendly at the wedding. So, I showed up to SEE. Just so I could understand and realize that it would be over between us, since cheating like that is the utmost betrayal. I sat down and watchted her sitting on his lap, while they kissed, had they’re arms around each other, and laughed. When they got up holding hands to go dance is when rage took over and I threw a drink (intended for Darby) on them. I went to the bathroom to cry, since I just witnessed a heartbreaking scene, and I get interrupted by 4 girls banging on my stall door. They drag me out punch my in the face and one was actually strangling me at one point. Eventually they were pulled off of me and I stayed back to clean up and then I went to leave. that’s when Crystal Munoz, who couldn’t walk in a straight line, came strolling up to me screaming. By the way, it baffles me that she thinks so highly of herself that I would go to a wedding for HER? Never. Darby was in the wrong and I was upset with him, not her. Anyways, she drunkenly attacks me and I defend myself, since I was obviously had just been jumped by her friends. I never intended to fight anyone. I didn’t crash a wedding to cause a scene (I threw a drink on my cheating boyfriend.. okay, but nobody even saw) Crystal and her friends caused the scene by thinking it was about them and causing a fight. By the way, that mugshot is so bad because I had my hair in a bun, it was pouring rain and they made me take it down, and I’d been crying. It sucks because everyone is going to take the wedding parties side, seeing as I didn’t have anyone on my side. Like the one person stated above, the wait staff was never asked to give a statement and they were sober and knew what was going on. All of the people outside of the wedding party that I spoke to, from the ems guys and even the cops felt bad for me because they knew the story would be twisted in Crystals favor.
I just wanted to let you guys know I didn’t go to a wedding to attack the mistress. I went to catch Darby to know it was over between us.
Anonymous says
I work at this resort & happened to be working this weekend. I, too, never had a report taken from me. This is disgusting and ridiculous. I seen 4 girls (from the wedding/wedding party) charge after the girl arrested, chasing her into the bathroom. In my opinion all the of girls should have been arrested. Cannot blame the girl for throwing a drink on her boyfriend. Probably referring to her as his “ex girlfriend” since he was caught red handed and embarrassed.
Layla says
Their parents must be so proud. Shelby, who in the world taught you this is acceptable behavior? It was not. Did you see it in the movies, a soap opera, maybe? Grow up and move on.
Sam Brown says
Well, that’s a shameful event for everyone involved. The other girls should have been shamed publicly too.
In other countries, such domestic disputes don’t get reported. Florida is strange and feels like a small gossiping village.
Gotta watch your behaviour in such a gossip loving place.
woodchuck says
The wedding pictures must be off the hook,I would to see them.
Clasic says
I think they already made a movie about this—-The Hangover!!
Anonymous says
Meanwhile you have your twitter picture as your mug shot and a post on the article saying”man I’m really getting famous” with crying laugh faces…..
not to mention this wedding was something that probably cost the bride a substantial amount of time and money and for anyone to think that’s an appropriate place to confront your ex than in flabbergasted.
palmcoaster says
I am sincerely sorry for you Shelby as you are one more Florida girl that just met the wrong dude and fell in love with him and passion makes young and old take the wrong steps in extreme situations, like you found.
I hope you deal now in the best way you can hopefully with your family support with this issue, if goes to court and hope you get a fair judge and once is over just turn the page and try to never again fall in the talons of such a bird of prey and move on with your life as is someone out there that will really love you one day..
palmcoaster says
I am sincerely sorry for Shelby.
palmcoaster says
I am sincerely sorry for you Shelby as you are one more Florida girl that met the wrong dude and fell in love with him. Young and old could be prone to take the wrong steps driven by passion in extreme situations like you found yourself. Now you need to the deal in the best way you can hopefully maybe with the help of your family just in case goes to court hearing and hopefully you will have a fair judge. Once all is over please turn this sad page of your life and hopefully given this chapter you have learned to not fall on the talons of such a bird of prey again as time will tell you that there is someone out there that will render you true love with God’s blessing.
YankeeExPat says
Another Fine, Southern Debutante in the making, Well I do declare!
Darby, you need to put the wheels in motion for a restraining order ASAP, you ex is obviously unhinged and you need to be aware of your surroundings going forward. Don’t take this lightly, as situations as these often escalate to more stalking and amped up violence.
ASF says
People should stop feeling sorry for Shelby and start urging her to get some much needed therapy. And the last thing she needs to be doing is imbibing alcohol or any other substances she may be using to destabilize an already pretty unstable temper and problem with self-control. She doesn’t need to be focusing on any outside relationship until she had made significant headway on working on herself.
dtr says
…goodness, what would Miss Manners say?
TheBull says
Naw, you look good in the picture, no worries. The best part about being young is that you can do these crazy things and still outgrow them. BUT you did go into a private affair and start a fight, so take the consequences graciously and stay out of trouble. We all have significant others that come and go when we’re young, it helps us weed out the bad ones and find the right one.
gmath55 says
Feel sorry for her? Wasn’t invited to the wedding. Therefore, you never should of gone. Got issues with a boyfriend you take it up later.
Itsjustme says
What a shame!!!
Nancy W says
The people I feel sorry for are the bride and groom. This was their day, not yours or your cheating boyfriends, and you ruined it. For that alone I don’t feel sorry for you. I
ELPE says
I WOULD HAVE DONE THE SAME THING.
YOU GO GIRL :)
NOW LEAVE HIS A** ALONE.. HE’S A LOSER!
Dave says
The girls who used violence against Shelby as a means of revenge should also be arrested, since when is it ok to use violence in any way but self defense? Shame on the police who handled this case