A Florida firefighter is currently on paid leave following an arrest for misdemeanor stalking. Gabrielle Franze, who is employed by Orange County Fire Rescue, was accused of tossing over 100 tampons onto her ex-boyfriend's lawn in Volusia County. As reported by WFTV, security footage and license plate data securely managed to tie Franze to the bizarre incident.
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office received a complaint last Thursday night when a woman reporting the incident claimed to have found the red-painted tampons scattered across her yard upon returning home last Tuesday. The couple tried to inspect their home's security footage, which appeared to show a dark pickup truck, resembling Franze's, slowly passing their house before a person, now believed to be Franze, began to carelessly throw tampons onto the lawn, according to a report by FOX 35 Orlando.
When questioned by the deputies, Franze initially claimed ignorance about the location of her ex-boyfriend's residence and denied being involved. However, when confronted with the evidence, she admitted to being at the scene, though she insisted that the tampon-throwing incident wasn't her idea. Despite her claims, Franze was arrested and charged after she was identified as the primary aggressor in the situation. "Franze was unhappy they were together and had talked badly about them to others, made angry posts on social media, and drove a truck similar to the one seen in the video," the arrest affidavit detailed, as noted in the FOX 35 Orlando coverage.
Franze's actions have led to her being placed on leave by Orange County Fire Rescue, where she has been a team member since November 2019. Franze has been released on bond, and her first court appearance is expected to be on Friday.
