FL - Wife arrested, theft, gave estranged husband’s guns to police after Domestic Violence, Jun 2019

[JerseyGirl]

Courtney Irby gave her estranged husband’s guns to police after he was charged with domestic violence-aggravated battery, only to find herself arrested for theft.

Courtney Irby spent six days in jail on charges of armed burglary and grand theft after she retrieved the guns from her husband’s apartment and gave them to the Lakeland Police. Joseph Irby was spending one day in jail at the time, accused of ramming into her car after a June 14 divorce hearing.

The judge had ordered Joseph Irby during the hearing not to use, possess or carry any weapons or ammunition. Courtney Irby told police that she believed he wouldn’t turn in his guns himself, so she took action. According to her arrest report, she said she entered her husband’s apartment through a locked door without his permission.

Florida woman charged after giving husband’s guns to police

 

[Jim_M]

Courtney Irby gave her estranged husband’s guns to police after he was charged with domestic violence-aggravated battery, only to find herself arrested for theft.

Courtney Irby spent six days in jail on charges of armed burglary and grand theft after she retrieved the guns from her husband’s apartment and gave them to the Lakeland Police. Joseph Irby was spending one day in jail at the time, accused of ramming into her car after a June 14 divorce hearing.

The judge had ordered Joseph Irby during the hearing not to use, possess or carry any weapons or ammunition. Courtney Irby told police that she believed he wouldn’t turn in his guns himself, so she took action. According to her arrest report, she said she entered her husband’s apartment through a locked door without his permission.

Florida woman charged after giving husband’s guns to police

Hmmmm. Sounds to me like a very smart woman. That was a brave thing to do.

Makes me wonder what other threats he may have hurled at her?

IMO she was justified in her actions. Now, how to stay safely away from this guy?!

 

[human]

She should have thrown them deep into water

 

[musicaljoke]

She could have called police and let them know that her husband had a load of guns and believed that they would retrieve them. She could have let them know that she feared for her life and was heading to a shelter until the guns were confiscated.

But maybe she felt that six days in jail was worth the peace of mind knowing that the guns were out of the man's hands.

 

[Wild Rose]

Poor woman, this makes NO SENSE. She might just have saved innumerable lives of LE. I mean he USED his vehicle as a weapon after a hearing when he wouldn't have a gun, going to court. We have a judge in our area that literally applies the law case by case with a caring attitude.

 

[Reasonable & Just]

She could have called police and let them know that her husband had a load of guns and believed that they would retrieve them. She could have let them know that she feared for her life and was heading to a shelter until the guns were confiscated.

But maybe she felt that six days in jail was worth the peace of mind knowing that the guns were out of the man's hands.

She probably doubted this. May have had reason to doubt it based on past experiences calling police on him for DV. May have doubted their ability/willingness to do it before he got out (ONE DAY for using a car as a deadly weapon). As for the shelter - sometimes they are full. Sometimes, abusers know exactly where they are.

Many folks are fine with someone shooting someone else to death (including children like Tamir Rice) because they "fear for their lives". This woman feared for her life. Nobody died or was even shot as a result of her actions. She did what she felt she had to in order to protect herself and her child in a nonviolent manner.

 

[cherrymeg]

Poor woman, this makes NO SENSE. She might just have saved innumerable lives of LE. I mean he USED his vehicle as a weapon after a hearing when he wouldn't have a gun, going to court. We have a judge in our area that literally applies the law case by case with a caring attitude.

She possibly was the only person that would know how many guns were in the house. She did the right thing and got arrested. She could have taken them thrown them away sold them, given them to random people that might commit a crime he could be blamed for. Now she has a charge against her and now if he continues to threaten her it will appear on paper like she broke into his home.

 

[cherrymeg]

She probably doubted this. May have had reason to doubt it based on past experiences calling police on him for DV. May have doubted their ability/willingness to do it before he got out (ONE DAY for using a car as a deadly weapon). As for the shelter - sometimes they are full. Sometimes, abusers know exactly where they are.

Many folks are fine with someone shooting someone else to death (including children like Tamir Rice) because they "fear for their lives". This woman feared for her life. Nobody died or was even shot as a result of her actions. She did what she felt she had to in order to protect herself and her child in a nonviolent manner.

She didn't even risk throwing them in a lake or anything where they could get into someone else's hands. She turned in guns he shouldn't have had because him shooting her was/is a real possibility. The response to her actions clearly shows she couldn't trust the police to make sure he didn't have guns. She did there they should have been grateful. She probably felt safer in jail than anywhere else. If someone is threatening you, stalking or harassing you, you don't have to see them. You can refuse contact. They can't call you. It's sad when jail isn't a scary option.

 

[musicaljoke]

She possibly was the only person that would know how many guns were in the house. She did the right thing and got arrested. She could have taken them thrown them away sold them, given them to random people that might commit a crime he could be blamed for. Now she has a charge against her and now if he continues to threaten her it will appear on paper like she broke into his home.

She really did herself no favours by breaking in and stealing the guns. The police can't use the pile of guns she brought in to lay charges against her husband. What other evidence did she make inaccessible to the police when she cleaned out the guns and made a search warrant useless?

Now, in the ongoing saga of domestic violence, she has tainted her credibility and likely p-oed LE.

 

[modesty blaise]

He got one day for ramming her car and she got six for b and e? Well we certainly know what the priorities are.

 

[Skully]

Can't break into someone apartment to take guns to the police. You call the police and let them handle it. He used his car to ram her car? Should she have taken his car too? I get that she was afraid, but you can't just do a B&E.

 

[musicaljoke]

He got one day for ramming her car and she got six for b and e? Well we certainly know what the priorities are.

Her charges were armed burglary and grand theft, which are serious charges.

Oh dear. Domestic situations can sometimes be very complicated. I understand why some people support her decision, but imo, that was a matter best left to the police.

 

[Reasonable & Just]

Respectfully and IMO:

The "armed" was because she was carrying the guns out. Theft? She turned them over to the police. Complicated? Not in concept. DV has some pretty predictable patterns to it. You punish the person who caused or threatened bodily harm to the other. In law, I agree that it's complicated because the laws started out on the premise that the property rights of free males supersede everything else (and women were once considered that property). Society has changed. That's what police and prosecutorial discretion are for. I suppose that discretion cuts the other way if they're trying to teach a woman to "stay in her lane" and not protect herself.

 

[modesty blaise]

Her charges were armed burglary and grand theft, which are serious charges.

Oh dear. Domestic situations can sometimes be very complicated. I understand why some people support her decision, but imo, that was a matter best left to the police.

I understand where you are coming from. Imo Somebody used their discretion to to go harder on her than they did him and his guns.

 

[cherrymeg]

She really did herself no favours by breaking in and stealing the guns. The police can't use the pile of guns she brought in to lay charges against her husband. What other evidence did she make inaccessible to the police when she cleaned out the guns and made a search warrant useless?

Now, in the ongoing saga of domestic violence, she has tainted her credibility and likely p-oed LE.

Did they have a search warrant? It seemed like he was supposed to give up his weapons after he used his car as a weapon. It wouldn't have been a crime yet to not turn over the guns if that was the case. If she had called the cops to the home or demanded that they remove the weapons he wasn't supposed to have before he got out of jail, because he might not give them up voluntarily, that would have been ideal. It's possible that running her off the road was just his most recent form of abuse. Domestic violence isn't always taken seriously until someone is dead. The publicity her case has gotten might be the best protection against him. You can get guns easily, you can kill people other ways. Now if something happens to her not only will the police be criticized but he will be the prime suspect.