Florida Woman ‘in Fear of Her Life’ Arrested for Turning Her Estranged Husband’s Guns Over to Police

A woman in Florida was arrested for theft June 15 after turning her husband’s guns over to police. She was reportedly afraid for her life.

Courtney Irby, 32, of Bartow, Fla. allegedly went to her husband’s home on June 15, took two of his guns, and brought them to the Lakeland Police Department. This happened while her estranged husband, Joseph Irby, was in jail for allegedly trying to hit her with a car. He was arrested June 14 on domestic violence charges.

After Courtney Irby turned over the weapons, authorities arrested her and charged her with two counts of grand theft and one count of armed burglary.

A police report obtained by the Miami Herald said she was “in fear of her life.” The Herald also notes that the wife had obtained a restraining order against her husband. Joseph Irby told the Miami Herald from jail that he planned to press charges against his wife.

On June 20, a Polk County judge released Courtney Irby on a $5,000 bail. She was ordered to make no contact with Joseph Irby and prohibited from possessing a firearm, according to the Miami Herald.

According to a report from the Brady Center released last October, over 525 women on average annually were murdered by a partner using a firearm between 2006 and 2016.