What started as an argument over a missing order at a Palmetto Bay McDonald’s on Dec. 27, 2025, has ended with felony and misdemeanor charges for a local woman. Police this week arrested 53-year-old Andrea K. Houston, accused of striking an employee through the drive-thru window during the late-December confrontation.
According to an arrest affidavit cited by WSVN, Houston is charged with burglary with assault or battery and resisting an officer without violence. Investigators say an anonymous witness recorded the clash on video and provided the vehicle’s tag number, which officers used to identify Houston in a photographic lineup. Deputies later spotted the Toyota Yaris registered to her in Cutler Bay and took her into custody during a traffic stop, authorities told the station.
Where It Happened
Police say the confrontation unfolded at the McDonald’s located at 18295 South Dixie Highway in Palmetto Bay, which appears in the chain’s official McDonald’s location listings for the area.
Investigation And Court Actions
The arrest report states that a piece of wood passed through the drive-thru threshold and struck a worker, who told officers that Houston had grabbed the wood from her vehicle in the middle of the dispute. Houston later appeared in bond court on Tuesday, where a judge ordered her to stay away from the restaurant, placed her on level-3 house arrest, and set bond at $8,000, according to WSVN.
What The Law Says
Under Florida Statutes §810.02, burglary with an assault or battery is treated as an enhanced form of burglary, as outlined by the Florida Legislature. Resisting an officer without violence is codified in §843.02, which the Florida Senate notes is typically a first-degree misdemeanor. Taken together, those classifications mean the burglary charge could carry far steeper penalties than the resisting charge if prosecutors prove the elements in court.
Broader Context
Across Florida, disputes that start with something as small as a wrong or missing item at a fast-food drive-thru have occasionally spiraled into violent encounters, fueling calls for stronger protections for front-line workers. In one widely reported case, a customer allegedly pulled a gun over a missing cookie at a McDonald’s, a confrontation covered by WESH, highlighting just how quickly a routine drive-thru argument can cross into potential criminal territory.
