A 74-year-old Florida woman allegedly pulled a knife on her husband over a broken water hose, then told deputies she ‘did not hurt him this time’

After an alleged domestic dispute in Archer, Florida, escalated into a tense two-hour standoff with law enforcement. Cynthia Correll, 74, now faces charges after an argument with her husband that began over a broken water hose, according to Law&Crime. She is charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, domestic battery, and resisting an officer without violence.

The situation unfolded at a property on the 16000 block of SW County Road 346 in Alachua County. According to the arrest report, the conflict began when Correll and her husband argued over the water hose. A witness reported hearing the argument before the pair went into a shed where they live together, and told police that Correll “stated she was going to kill him (the victim) multiple times.”

The husband told deputies he went into the shed and lay down on the bed. According to the report, Correll allegedly followed him inside holding a knife and pushed it against his left shoulder and chest area. She then threatened to kill him if he did not get out, the report says. The husband claimed that Correll hit him in the chest multiple times as he stood up to leave the shed. 

Deputies say she refused to come out of the shed for two hours

Once he got out, he went into a house on the property and told the witness what had happened. When deputies arrived, she allegedly refused to leave the shed, and a two-hour standoff followed. Deputies ordered her over a loudspeaker to come out, but she refused, according to police. Officers could not reach the shed because it was fenced in and had two large dogs inside, according to the arrest report. 

At one point, she stepped outside. However, she allegedly went back in when deputies tried to subdue her. During the standoff, Correll reportedly used a knife to cut her own wrist. Sheriff’s officials said a member of the agency’s negotiations team eventually persuaded her to surrender peacefully. Video from the scene captures the negotiator telling her, “Miss Cyndy, it’s Rachel. Come out to us. I can help you,” before she answers that she is coming out.

Investigators later recovered a bloody knife from inside the shed. Deputies took her to a hospital for medical clearance as she had injured herself, and she was booked into jail once cleared. While speaking with deputies, Correll admitted that an argument had taken place but claimed that she “did not hurt him this time.” She told officers she wanted her husband to leave the shed as she was afraid she would hurt him. However, she denied hitting her husband, possessing a knife, or threatening to kill him.

Correll has no reported criminal history. The arrest is one of several recent cases where an everyday dispute allegedly turned violent. In Wisconsin, prosecutors say a teen who argued with a classmate on a bus opened fire six seconds after they stepped off. Correll remains charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony in Florida that could carry up to 15 years in prison if she is convicted.