Mother accused of choking teen boy over FB comment

[secretlyevil]

Only in bloody Florida.

www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/mother-accused-of-choking-teen-boy-at-st-petersburg-mall-over-facebook/1232582

Mother accused of choking teen boy at St. Petersburg mall over Facebook comments

ST. PETERSBURG — Police have arrested a 46-year-old woman they say choked a teen boy in the middle of Tyrone Square Mall because he had posted comments on Facebook that upset her daughter.

Debbie Piscitella, of St. Petersburg, and her 14-year-old daughter were at the mall about 5:30 p.m. Monday when the girl spotted the boy near Sears, police said.

The mother confronted the teen after her daughter pointed him out.

"The mother of the girl became incensed," police spokesman Mike Puetz said. "She put her hands around his throat and started to choke him."

The 14-year-old boy, who is not being identified, called police as Piscitella continued to berate him.

An officer responded and called the boy's mother, who initially said she did not want to press charges. She changed her mind after her son came home and "she saw the red marks on his neck," Puetz said.

Officers arrested Piscitella about 9 p.m. on a charge of child abuse.

Puetz said Piscitella claimed she touched the boy's neck accidentally, but a witness and surveillance from one of the mall stores confirmed the teen's version.

Piscitella was released from jail Tuesday on $5,000 bail. Jail records list her last name as Freeman.

The police report did not say exactly what the boy said on Facebook.

[Last modified: May 29, 2012 10:57 PM]

[UMaineTeach]

right, accident, sure
what is wrong with people?

[charminglife]

How do you 'accidentally' touch someone's neck hard enough to leave marks? This woman should at least have the balls to admit what she did. Way to teach your kid conflict resolution.

[dirtyred]

So what were the FB comments?

[iammalcolmx]

May 30, 2012 18:18:17 GMT -5 dirtyred said:

So what were the FB comments?

I want to know as well. I am a heathen so I am reserving judgment until I see what the kid said.

[sam20]

I really want to know what he said.

[basilosaurus]

Ooops, I choked you? That's your defense?

Maybe the kid was a complete asshat, but you don't choke people over that.

[Deleted]

May 30, 2012 19:39:57 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

Ooops, I choked you? That's your defense?

Maybe the kid was a complete asshat, but you don't choke people over that.

Seriously.
Oh, Florida. I'm starting to regret buying a place there!

[statlerwaldorf]

Especially not in the middle of the mall where there are cameras. Not that you should go around assaulting people, but at least be smart about it.

[Seesaw]

If the daughter were there she should have done her own choking. It would have saved 5k.

[thejackpot]

Yay, Florida! So glad I am from there Seriously what an example she is to her daughter.

[mayflowers22]

Wow.

[Miss Phryne Fisher]

LOL when I saw where it happened I was thinking "I wonder if that was a Tyrone". I used to work directly across the street from there when I lived in FL...lots of freaks in that area!