An 80-year-old woman from Ocala, Florida, is facing multiple battery charges after allegedly pepper-spraying her neighbor and two young children—ages 3 and 6—because she was upset about them playing with bubbles.
According to police, Ada Anderson sprayed April Morant and her daughters after reportedly becoming angry at the children’s playtime in their yard. Morant said the girls weren’t even near the shared fence when Anderson leaned over and sprayed them. “At first, I thought she had a gun,” Morant told Newsweek. The children ran inside, crying and in pain, as their mother tried to rinse off the burning chemical.
Morant said this wasn’t an isolated incident. Since moving in last November, she claims Anderson has repeatedly harassed her family—including yelling racial slurs and telling them they don’t belong in the neighborhood. “I feel like she’s escalating,” Morant said. “I have recordings of her.”
Anderson has been charged with battery and released on bond, but Morant is calling for additional charges, including hate crime enhancements. “Just battery? What about the kids? What about everything she said while doing it?” she asked.
Anderson has not commented publicly. Meanwhile, Morant is pursuing a restraining order and trying to move her family out of the area. “If she’s willing to use bear spray like that, I don’t know what else she’s capable of,” Morant said.