ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A pick-up game of pickleball recently took a violent turn in Florida.
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A woman assaulted a stranger she was playing with by hitting the man in the head with her paddle, according to our sister station WJAX.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office told WJAX that Michele Bannister was playing pickleball with her son on May 31.
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Tensions were already high as the arrest report states Banister had been arguing with another player when things took a turn.
Witnesses told authorities that Bannister hit the victim in the head multiple times with a pickleball paddle.
Bannister is also facing fraud charges as Saint Johns County deputies say she gave them a fake name and address, calling herself “Aiyanna Lei” twice before officers tracked her down and arrested her at her home.
Bannister is pleading not guilty. Bannister told deputies it was necessary to stop a “violent attempt” to attack her son.
Deputies noted that there was no “imminent” threat to her child at the time.
WJAX reached out to Bannister’s attorney multiple times on Thursday and is still waiting to hear back.
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