Inset: Gail Stephenson (Monroe County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The 1300 block of Ashby Street in Key West, Fla., where Gail Stephenson is accused of her phone-related outburst (Google Maps).
A Florida woman is accused of disturbing several residents in Key West — “pounding” on doors and allegedly threatening them with a .22 Magnum revolver — believing she had been “robbed” of her cellphone, which was actually in her car the entire time.
Gail Stephenson, 57, is facing three felony charges for her Friday night outburst following the discovery of both the phone and revolver she allegedly used in the residents’ ordeal — the items were found inside her Ford Explorer and outside her nearby house, according to the arrest report provided to Law&Crime.
Stephenson was allegedly under the impression that a man she had given a ride to in the area was responsible for swiping her cellular device.
Two residents, at minimum, reported feeling threatened by Stephenson, including a 52-year-old man who claimed she aimed her revolver “at his chest,” as noted in the arrest report. Another resident said Stephenson believed the man she had given a ride was present at her home.
An officer who examined Stephenson’s vehicle detailed in the arrest report how authorities found both the cellphone and firearm after Stephenson “assertively” denied having a weapon and had checked for the phone inside her Explorer. She insisted “repeatedly” that officials could verify for themselves.
“Stephenson opened the front driver’s door to display the vehicle’s interior, and I instantly noticed the phone reported as stolen lying on the driver’s side floor,” the officer states in Stephenson’s arrest report. “I opened the rear driver’s side door and quickly spotted a revolver case underneath the folded down third row seats.”
According to police, Stephenson was asked about the revolver case and where the weapon was. She allegedly tried saying her husband “must have it with him in Georgia” and that she didn’t possess any firearms.
Authorities searched a nearby home and allegedly located an S333 Thunderstruck .22 Magnum caliber revolver inside a “purple Crown Royal bag” that was loaded and chambered with two rounds inside of the fenced property. Stephenson allegedly “stashed” it behind a trash can, according to cops.
“A small baggy was found inside the Crown Royal bag as well containing four more .22 Magnum rounds,” the arrest report says.
Stephenson allegedly “smelled strongly” of alcohol and “admitted to having several drinks” on Friday, according to police. Authorities received several calls while talking with her that night about “a woman fitting Stephenson’s description” having a revolver and “banging on people’s home(s) and threatening those residences, stating she had been robbed,” per the arrest report.
The male resident that Stephenson allegedly threatened told police that a woman with “shoulder length blonde hair in white sports utility vehicle with a weird white license plate was blowing her vehicle’s horn repeatedly,” which prompted him to go outside.
“[The man] stated that he came out of his house with a flashlight and approached the vehicle to see if [Stephenson] needed assistance,” the arrest report says, alleging that this is when Stephenson pointed her revolver at him.
“[The man] stated that he moved closer to the car to verify that she had pointed a gun at him and stated that the woman picked up the gun quickly and exited the vehicle and took off,” the report says.
When cops spoke to the female resident who was allegedly threatened, the woman said that she “had no idea who Stephenson was and didn’t answer the door” after Stephenson began banging on it, according to the report.
Stephenson was arrested and booked in the Monroe County Jail on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, armed trespassing and evidence tampering. She is due in court for her arraignment on Oct. 10.
