An Ormond Beach woman now faces multiple charges after she broke into her ex-husband’s home in Bunnell in the early morning hours of Friday, April 26. Just after 2:40 a.m. the suspect, Melinda Gould, 40, a resident of Ormond Beach called 9-1-1 to request a wellness check on her ex-husband’s home in Bunnell. She told the 9-1-1 operator she had just woken up from a nightmare in which she heard gunshots at his residence where her children were staying.
When Deputy Anderson arrived at the residence, all the lights were off, and he observed no criminal activity or suspicious behavior. When he called Gould back as she requested and told her his findings, she replied “go fuck yourself.”
Almost an hour later, at 3:48 a.m. Deputy Anderson responded to the Sherwood St. home again after the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call from a woman claiming her boyfriend’s ex-wife had broken into the home, was standing over their bed while they were sleeping and then attempted to stab him.
When Deputy Anderson arrived, he located a silver van, later identified as Gould’s registered vehicle parked in the driveway. The front door was open and inside he found the man holding Gould to the floor. A filet knife was located nearby. The couple’s three children were also inside, unharmed but traumatized from the event.
Through investigative means, deputies determined that after receiving the call from Deputy Anderson advising that her ex-husband’s home was safe and secure, Gould attempted to purchase a gun from a man she saw across the street to kill her husband. After she could not obtain a gun, she stated she went there to check on her kids and grabbed a knife from the couple’s kitchen. Gould was arrested for Aggravated Assault, Armed Burglary of Dwelling/Structure, and two counts of Child Abuse Mental Injury. She was previously trespassed from the home in October 2022, so she was also arrested for Trespass – After Warning.
She was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. Two days later, while still incarcerated, Gould was involved in a physical altercation with another inmate. Upon investigating the incident, it was determined Gould was attempting to break a jail tablet by hitting it against the ceiling of her jail cell before throwing it at another inmate. She was arrested for Battery – Detained Person.
Gould is being held without bond at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. Gould has numerous arrests in Flagler County, one for Trespass – After Warning in April of 2023, and was arrested in 2022 for Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer or EMT.
“Without regard for the safety of her children and other members of the household this deranged woman tried everything to kill or inflict physical harm on her former spouse,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “Let it go instead of risking going to prison. There is a reason you broke up. You need to accept it and understand acting like this is not good for your children or yourself. Hopefully she will take advantage of our many programs to learn how to effectively deal with her anger issues.”
For bodycam footage of the arrest: https://bit.ly/44lWSnS
