Inset: Linda Frenier (Orange County Jail). Background: A Walmart in Apopka, Fla. (Google Maps).
An octogenarian Florida woman was recently arrested for a parking lot fracas at a Walmart that involved her slapping another driver in the face, according to Sunshine State law enforcement.
Linda Montan Frenier, 80, stands accused of one count each of robbery via sudden snatching, a felony, and battery, a misdemeanor, according to Orange County court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
The underlying incident occurred on June 30, at the Walmart on South Orange Blossom Trail in Apopka, a medium-sized town located in the broader Orlando metro area.
On the afternoon in question, an officer arrived at the parking lot in response to a call about a battery, according to an arrest affidavit.
“I met with the victim who was standing by her vehicle,” the officer wrote in the law enforcement narrative. “The victim stated that she was driving northbound through the Walmart parking lot. The victim had stopped at the stop sign directly behind Linda Frenier”s vehicle to check her phone’s GPS for directions. While at the stop sign, Frenier attempted to reverse out of her parking spot and struck the passenger-side door of the victim’s vehicle.”
But the defendant did not apologize for the mishap, the alleged victim said. Instead, she appeared to blame the other driver.
Frenier “exited her vehicle and started cursing” at the other driver and her brother, according to the affidavit. Then, the other driver got out of her car as well – asking the defendant to calm down and provide her insurance for the crash. These requests allegedly set the defendant off again.
“Frenier said, ‘I’m not giving you s–––, b––––,'” the officer’s narrative continues. “The victim tried to calm down Frenier and proceeded to walk away from her. Frenier approached the victim and got in her face and made a gesture as if she was going to hit the victim in the face. Frenier then slapped the victim on the left side of her face without her permission.”
After the alleged slap, Frenier allegedly grabbed the other woman’s cellular phone out of her right hand, the affidavit claims.
“After Frenier grabbed the cellphone, she threw it across the street, temporarily depriving the victim of its use,” the court document goes on. “The victim wished to prosecute.”
Then, the responding officer spoke to a third woman, a witness, who said she watched the altercation unfold from nearby Steak ‘n Shake.
The officer wrote that the witness said “she saw Frenier slap the victim across the face, snatch her phone, and throw it across the street.”
Finally, the officer went to speak with the defendant about the incident. She allegedly confessed after being Mirandized.
“Frenier advised that she knew what she did was wrong,” the affidavit reads. “Frenier admitted to slapping the victim, grabbing her phone, and throwing it. Frenier stated that the victim got her upset and was getting in her face.”
