Cops: Woman, 71, Battered Man Over Mask

SEPTEMBER 22--An elderly woman was arrested yesterday after allegedly pushing and striking a male neighbor who refused to wear a mask inside an elevator at a Florida condominium, police say.

The confrontation Monday afternoon at the Oceana Oceanfront complex in Jensen Beach resulted in the filing of a battery charge against Suzanne Miller, 71. Miller was released from the county jail late last night after being booked on the misdemeanor count.

According to an arrest affidavit, Anthony Derosa, 54, told cops that Miller “became upset and started getting loud” when he declined to put on a mask. Derosa, who was returning to his apartment after retrieving mail in the lobby, said that Miller (seen at right) told him she “didn’t feel comfortable riding the elevator with someone who wasn’t wearing a mask.”

Unable to stop Derosa from pressing the button for his floor, the septuagenarian allegedly began yelling, “He’s assaulting me.” When Derosa still refused to leave the elevator, Miller tried to push him out of the car and “started intentionally striking” the victim with a closed fist on his shoulder, cops charge. 

A female witness told cops that she saw the 5’ 2” Miller “striking the victim multiple times on the arm and chest area with an open hand.” Video surveillance footage corroborated the accounts provided to police by Derosa and the witness.

Miller, free on $1000 bond, is scheduled for an October 21 arraignment in Circuit Court. (2 pages)