An Ormond Beach woman was arrested on Friday for allegedly breaking into her ex-husband's home and trying to stab him in his sleep. 40-year-old Melinda Gould has been in custody ever since at the county jail in Bunnell.
The incident reportedly began when Gould called 911 at around 2:40 am to request a wellness check on her ex-husband's home in Bunnell. She's said to have claimed she heard gunshots in a nightmare of hers. A deputy with the Flagler County Sheriff's Office responded, and found all the lights off and nothing happening. When the deputy called Gould back, she reportedly told him "go f*ck yourself".
At around 3:48 am another 911 call was placed, this one from the home itself. A woman told the operator their boyfriend's ex-wife had broken in and was standing over their bed with a knife while they were sleeping. The woman said the ex-wife tried to stab him.
The same deputy came back to the house, and found a van which was identified as Gould's. The door to the house was open, and the deputy came across the ex-husband pinning Gould to the floor with a filet knife nearby. The couple's three kids were in the house, and were reportedly unharmed although traumatized.
The FCSO says Gould had tried to buy a gun from a man she saw across the street with the intention of using it to kill her ex-husband. When that failed, she's said to have gone inside to get the knife. She was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, armed burglary, two counts of child abuse, and trespassing. She was also charged with battery on a detained person after being booked into the county jail.
“Without regard for the safety of her children and other members of the household this deranged woman tried everything to kill or inflict physical harm on her former spouse,” said Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly. “Let it go instead of risking going to prison. There is a reason you broke up. You need to accept it and understand acting like this is not good for your children or yourself. Hopefully she will take advantage of our many programs to learn how to effectively deal with her anger issues.”
Prior charges against Gould between Flagler and Volusia counties include violation of a no-contact order, battery on an EMT, trespassing, battery, and violently resisting arrest.
