A 49-year-old Fort McCoy woman was arrested after she was accused of threatening a male victim with a gun that belonged to him.
On Saturday, July 23, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a local residence in reference to a possible physical altercation. Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with Cynthia Lynn Stufflebean who advised that the male victim had shown up at the residence at approximately 3 a.m.
Stufflebean stated that she grabbed a handgun for protection since she was initially unaware of who had come to the front door, and the firearm belonged to the victim. She claimed that when she opened the door, she saw the victim, and the victim attempted to grab the firearm.
Stufflebean told the dedputy that a “wrestling match” started over the handgun, and she bit the victim because she “did not know what the victim was going to do if he got the gun.” During the struggle for the firearm, a single gunshot was fired since her finger was on the trigger.
No one was struck by the gunshot, and Stufflebean stated that the victim retrieved the firearm and pointed it into the air. She advised that she went inside, and the victim followed her into the home before she could close the front door.
Stufflebean stated that she grabbed a knife from the kitchen to further protect herself since the victim had the firearm. She advised that the victim approached her, grabbed her hands to get the knife away from her, and one of her fingers was cut during this process.
The deputy then spoke with the victim who recalled arriving at the residence at around 2 a.m. When he attempted to get into the residence, he stated that he could see Stufflebean holding his .22 caliber semi-automatic handgun through the window, and she was allegedly pointing it at him.
According to the victim, Stufflebean kept the gun pointed at him and asked him, “Are you feeling lucky?” When Stufflebean opened the front door, she allegedly pointed the firearm at him again, and he told the deputy that he feared that Stufflebean was going to shoot him.
The victim described a small tussle over the firearm between him and Stufflebean. While they were both attempting to gain control of the firearm, he advised that Stufflebean bit him on the left shoulder and would not let go.
Once the victim grabbed the firearm, he stated that Stufflebean ran inside the home and grabbed a small kitchen knife. He told the deputy that he feared being stabbed, so he took the knife from Stufflebean and threw it into a trash can.
The victim advised that he walked out of the residence to deescalate the situation, and he hid the firearm in a nearby shed to keep it away from Stufflebean.
The deputy observed a large bite mark on the victim’s shoulder that appeared fresh but was not bleeding. The firearm and knife were located where the victim stated he had left them.
After reading Stufflebean her Miranda rights, she denied stating “are you feeling lucky” while she was at the front door with the victim. When asked why she continued to wrestle with the victim over the firearm after she knew it was him, she claimed that she was afraid of the victim. The deputy noted in the MCSO report that she did not provide any substantial reason as to why she was generally afraid of the victim in that moment.
Stufflebean was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where she is currently being held on $6,000 bond. She is facing a felony charge for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and a misdemeanor charge for domestic battery.
A court date has been scheduled on Tuesday, August 23 at 9 a.m., according to jail records.