New Smyrna Beach, Fla. — A Volusia County woman is facing two counts of battery and potential deportation after deputies say she threw coffee on a mother, her 11-month-old baby, and the family’s dog during a heated confrontation over a leash.
According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, the incident happened on November 14, when a woman was walking her infant son and Dalmatian along a residential easement near Quail Ranch Road. Deputies say the neighbor, identified as 54-year-old Nina Kristina Jaaskelainen, began yelling at the woman because her dog was off leash.
A verbal dispute escalated when Jaaskelainen allegedly threw a cup of cold coffee toward the dog and then onto the mother and her child. Deputies reported seeing dried coffee on all three when they arrived. The mother had also recorded portions of the confrontation on her cellphone.
Jaaskelainen reportedly admitted to throwing the coffee at the dog but denied intentionally throwing it on the woman or the baby. She told deputies she believed the family was on her property and said her own dog became agitated during the encounter.
After her arrest, authorities determined Jaaskelainen is a Finnish national living in the United States unlawfully. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed a detainer on her, and she is now subject to potential deportation proceedings.
Court records show she has entered a written not-guilty plea to the battery charges.
Deputies confirmed probable cause for the arrest, and the investigation remains ongoing as both local and federal proceedings move forward.
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