Vikki Cappola (Palm Beach County Jail).
A Florida woman was recently arrested for attacking her elderly sister who uses a wheelchair, according to Sunshine State law enforcement.
Vikki Beth Cappola, 64, stands accused of one count each of abuse of an elderly adult, domestic battery by strangulation, and simple battery, according to Palm Beach County court records.
The incident occurred on Wednesday night at the elder sister’s residence, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case.
While heavily redacted under Florida’s victim privacy protection law, the court document relays the basic allegations that led to the younger sister’s arrest by sheriff’s deputies on May 21.
Law enforcement arrived at the residence in response to a 911 call about a domestic disturbance, according to the affidavit.
When deputies made their way inside, the older sister allegedly said Cappola physically assaulted her after an argument escalated.
During the altercation, the victim said her younger sister first struck her in the head with her cellular phone, authorities allege.
Then, “[i]mmediately following” the alleged cellphone attack, the defendant “allegedly pushed her” older sister “in her wheelchair into a dresser,” according to the affidavit.
While the victim was in her wheelchair, the defendant allegedly “used her hands to choke her, applying pressure to her neck and restricting her ability to breathe,” a deputy wrote in the charging document.
“[The victim] reported experiencing difficulty breathing during the attack,” the deputy added.
One of the older sister’s neighbors came forward as a witness and described hearing her crying for help, authorities say.
So, the neighbor said, she entered the residence and found the younger sister “with her arms wrapped around [the older sister’s] neck.”
The neighbor told investigators she had intervened in the attack by shielding the older woman with her body. This, in turn, prompted the defendant to pull hair, according to the affidavit. But the neighbor refused to press charges.
The redactions in the document make some of the claims unclear.
“After the alleged assault [redacted] forced the [redacted] leave the residence, effectively expelling her from the premises then locked the door,” the filing reads. “While interviewing [redacted] she expressed fear for her safety and requested assistance from [the Department of Children and Families]. I observed visible scratches to [redacted] left shoulder, but no visible marks on her neck.”
Authorities say Cappola, after being Mirandized, admitted to some of the allegations against her while denying others.
Cappola was detained in the Palm Beach County Jail on $11,000 bond. She is represented by a public defender.
The defendant had her first court appearance this week and is slated to return on June 20 and then again on July 17.
