A 62-year-old tourist from England was arrested and charged with attempted second-degree murder and battery after allegedly trying to drown his daughter-in-law during a heated argument over his will at a resort.
According to police, Mark Raymond Gibbon, of Beaconsfield, England, got into a physical altercation with his 33-year-old daughter-in-law on Sunday at the Solterra Resort.
The dispute reportedly started when the two began discussing the stipulations of Gibbon’s will.
Gibbon allegedly shoved his daughter-in-law underwater multiple times, holding her down despite her attempts to break free.
The victim’s 9-year-old daughter intervened, jumping into the pool to try and stop Gibbon, but he pushed her away.
The victim managed to escape and alerted nearby neighbours, who called emergency.
Deputies arrived at the scene and took Gibbon into custody.
He allegedly admitted to pushing his daughter-in-law underwater but claimed he did not intend to drown her.
The victim suffered minor scratches in the incident.
Gibbon remains in the Polk County Jail without bond, with his next court date scheduled for September 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,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.