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Inset: Mark Gibbon (Polk County Jail). Background: Solterra Resorts in Davenport, Florida, where Gibbon allegedly tried to drown his daughter-in-law (Google Maps).
A tourist vacationing in Florida allegedly tried to drown his daughter-in-law during an argument over his will, and was only stopped thanks to his granddaughter and neighbors who called 911.
It happened Sunday in Davenport, which is not far from Walt Disney World and other theme parks, the Polk County Sheriff”s Office said in a press release. Deputies responded to the Solterra Resort on Pine Tree Trail around 5:19 p.m. for a disturbance in a backyard swimming pool.
The victim and witnesses said 62-year-old Mark Raymond Gibbon of Beaconsfield, England, which is about 25 miles west of London, kept shoving the 33-year-old woman underwater during the fight. The family was together on vacation when Gibbon and his daughter-in-law had a quarrel about the “stipulations of his will,” a probable cause arrest affidavit said.
Gibbon allegedly “pushed her under the water and held her down multiple times,” the complaint stated. She reportedly tried to get away, but he kept shoving her back down.
“She advised that she could not breathe and believed that she was going to drown,” deputies wrote. “[The victim] advised that she had to fight Mark in order to get away from him and from under the water but he kept pushing her back under.”
It was at this point that the victim’s 9-year-old daughter saw what was happening and “jumped into the pool” to her mother’s defense, according to cops. The girl tried to get him to stop but Gibbon allegedly pushed her away.
The victim saw some neighbors and yelled at them to call 911. Gibbon allegedly stopped when the neighbors said they were calling the sheriff’s office.
Deputies arrived on scene and took Gibbon into custody. After receiving his Miranda warnings, he allegedly admitted to pushing his daughter-in-law underwater but said he did not intend to drown her. He claimed they were drinking when they got to talking about the will and she slapped him, which is what he said set off the skirmish.
The daughter-in-law reportedly suffered a couple of scratches.
Gibbon was arrested on charges of attempted second-degree murder and battery. He remains in the Polk County Jail without bond. His next court date is scheduled for Sept. 9.
“It’s great that Polk County draws visitors from all across the world, but we expect vacationers to behave while they visit with us, just as we expect our lifelong residents to do the same. Because Mr. Gibbon couldn’t control his anger, he may find himself spending a lot more time in Florida than he had anticipated,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.