A Florida woman was arrested after threatening to kill a cable company employee who was attempting to install fiber-optic equipment in her front yard, according to Sunshine State police.
Charmaine Borger, 65, is charged with one count of simple assault – threatening violence, and one count of resisting arrest – without violence, according to the Port St. Lucie Police Department.
Late last week, police responded to a disturbance at the defendant’s home on Southwest Ardmore Street in Port St. Lucie, a large coastal city about 50 miles north of West Palm Beach.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, officers on the scene were informed that the worker “arrived to do a job” but was stopped by the homeowner who “threatened to shoot him with a handgun.”
The alleged threats did not stop there.
According to the affidavit, the worker told police that he was accessing an easement on Borger’s property to install a concrete fiber-optics box in the ground when the woman approached and became belligerent. Borger allegedly requested that he provide her with a copy of the permit, but the worker refused, stating that he could show her the document but not give her a copy.
Borger then allegedly said, “This is my land, you cannot do this,” according to the affidavit, and requested a copy of the permit once more.
Again, the employee declined. Borger allegedly said, “Don’t play with me; I’ll go get my axe and chop you.”
Following the alleged threat, the employee called the police.
As the two waited for law enforcement to arrive, the defendant allegedly continued to speak to the worker along these lines.
“You better leave; I have a gun. “I’ll go get it if you don’t leave,” the woman allegedly said. “Boy, you are tall, but do not play with me. I’ll go get my gun if you don’t leave right away.”
According to the affidavit, Borger allegedly added, “If you don’t leave, you’re a dead man,” as the worker began speaking with 911 dispatch.
According to law enforcement, the worker had already disregarded Borger. The homeowner allegedly responded, “You’re not going to leave?” I’m going to go get my gun and shoot you. This is my land; I pay $8,000 in house fees; you should leave now.”
A witness at the scene also reported hearing Borger “cursing” and issuing “threats,” prompting her to record a portion of the incident. The witness echoed the permit-requesting portion of the dispute, claiming she saw the homeowner call the employee “derogatory names.”
According to the affidavit, the witness claimed she saw the defendant point to a hole in the ground and say, “This is my property; if I want to put a bomb in here, I can.” The worker replied that she could not plant a bomb in the ground. Borger then allegedly became more “belligerent,” according to police, citing the witness.
“You don’t tell me what to do,” the defendant allegedly told a cable company employee. “I will kill you.”
Borger, for her part, allegedly told police she had not received any notice about the installation and “expressed frustration” about a cable company “which she does not use as a service provider” “conducting work on her property without her consent,” according to the affidavit. The homeowner then expressed concerns “about the safety of the installation” because “she did not know what was being placed underground and feared it could be hazardous,” according to the charging document.
According to records, the defendant is currently detained at the St. Lucie County Jail on a $750 bond.
