Florida woman allegedly hits friend with a brick over loose pet snakes in his house, then offers six words to the police

A Boynton Beach, Florida woman was arrested after allegedly hitting a man in the head with a brick during an argument over her loose pet snakes. Maria Louise Del Rosario, 37, was charged with aggravated battery causing bodily harm and criminal mischief, according to a probable cause affidavit from the Boynton Beach Police Department obtained by local outlet CBS12.

Investigators obtained home surveillance footage that captured the aftermath of the reported confrontation outside the home. The video allegedly shows the man lying near the driveway while Del Rosario curses at him and stomps on his phone three times. When police showed her the recording, she allegedly said, “Just put me in the car.”

Officers had gone to the home on Southeast 13th Avenue after receiving a report of a delayed assault. They found a man with blood on his face and swelling around his eye, who told investigators he had known Del Rosario for about three years. He said he became upset when her pet snakes got loose in his house.

It all started over some loose snakes

The man claimed he tried to put distance between himself and Del Rosario as the argument escalated, but she kept approaching him. He alleged that when he went outside, she struck him with an object that felt like a brick. Investigators said Del Rosario continued following him despite his attempts to avoid her. He said he remembered little after the hit beyond trying to get away from her, and claimed she took his cellphone because he could not find it afterward.

Under Florida law, aggravated battery covers a battery that knowingly causes great bodily harm, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement, or one that involves a deadly weapon. It is a second-degree felony, which carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years. Del Rosario has not been convicted of either charge. Arrest charges in Florida can shift once a case reaches court, and prosecutors dropped one count in a recent pool bar trespassing case.

Law & Crime reported that the man had let Del Rosario and her pets move into his home after she fell on hard times following marital issues. Officers drove her to the Palm Beach County Jail, where she remains on $8,000 bond. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office separately made an arrest in the county this month after a son’s argument with his mother at home. Del Rosario is scheduled to appear in court on December 1.