A Michigan woman was arrested on Wednesday, April 5, after she allegedly choked a high school girl who blocked her view during a fireworks show at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that Tabbatha Kaye Mature of New Baltimore, Michigan, was arrested on a felony child abuse charge. She was booked at the Orange County Jail and was released on $2,000 bond.
Citing an arrest report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the outlet reported that the unidentified teenage girl and a group of her fellow high school students stood up during the fireworks display. Mature’s family was sitting behind them and asked them to sit down.
Mature “became aggravated,” the report claims, prompting the group of friends to leave the area. As the teenage girl walked away, she told Mature, “You can take our spot.” The girl told police that Mature then “wrapped both hands around my neck and began squeezing.” When the girl started screaming, Mature let go and allegedly said, “You don’t want to mess with me.”
The arrest report said the girl suffered no visible injuries. Mature’s lawyer, Adam Chrzan, told the Orlando Sentinel that his client never choked the girl and that the argument was primarily between Mature’s 17-year-old daughter and the group of students.
“There wasn’t a physical fight … There was a request for them to sit down or move, and things rolled on from there, but she never choked the alleged victim,” Chrzan said, adding that Mature had never been arrested prior to the incident at Disney World. “She’s a decent person, so this whole thing has been a complete shock … We intend to vigorously defend her against these allegations.”
