I mentioned this case and Sonya's "rebuke" phrase to my husband. He was raised a devout Catholic, and he instantly thought she intended to throw the boiling water on the officer, because apparently that phrase is what a Catholic says before throwing holy water on someone. While I don't think Sonya intended to threaten the officer, it makes it more understandable that he thought she was.
Just a completely different perspective, and one I never knew about.
Still doesn't explain why he didn't just back out of her house and leave her alone, though.
"Heya...look, we're done here and none of us need to do anything we can't undo. There's no sign of a prowler and we LEOs have other places to be, so we'll see ourselves out now. You take care and call us again if you feel you need to."