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By Sophie Clark
Live News Reporter
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An 81-year-old Florida woman has been arrested and accused of using bear mace against her neighbor's 3- and 6-year-old children after they were blowing bubbles in their own driveway.
Ada Anderson was taken into custody following the incident on May 30, 2025, in Ocala, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office's (MCSO) probable cause arrest affidavit.
Anderson is also accused of spraying bear mace at the girls' mother, April Morant, who told authorities that Anderson, who is white, also yelled racial slurs at the children, who are Black, during the incident.
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Zach Moore, public information officer at the Marion County Sheriff's Office, told Newsweek that Anderson's charges are felonies due to the racial slurs she allegedly yelled.
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Why It Matters
According to physicians, the use of pepper spray on children—which is weaker than bear mace can lead to lasting physical, neurological, and psychological damage.
The chemical irritants can impact a child's developing lungs, causing asthma, and may lead to nerve damage if they enter the brain. Being pepper-sprayed can also lead to lasting psychological trauma.
What To Know
According to Anderson's arrest report, the children were blowing bubbles in their driveway when the suspect walked over to the fence separating their two properties. She then pulled out the bear mace and sprayed the children and their mother, per police.
Anderson used the n-word while spraying the family, Morant told police. Morant also told police this is not the first time they have been subjected to racial slurs from Anderson. She provided video evidence of this to the MCSO.
Morant told the MCSO that she and her children were hit with the spray and that her lungs were in pain. The 6-year-old child told police her nose hurt from the spray, and the 3-year-old was not interviewed by police.
Officer Wesley Kenny, who filed the affidavit, said he observed an orange/brown substance on the fence and that deputies on the scene experienced irritation when smelling the substance.
He identified the substance to be pepper spray based on his experience in the field. The terms pepper spray and bear mace are used interchangeably in the affidavit, despite them being two different substances. It is unclear at this time which was used.
Moore told Newsweek: "Deputies did not recover the canister used during the crime; however, Deputy Kenny observed the substance on the ground and identified it as pepper spray in his report."
The affidavit also states that Anderson told police the girls were yelling at her from their fence, so she sprayed the substance at the girls. She said they were not hit by it.
What People Are Saying
April Morant told news station WSAZ: "Bubbles. Literally, the bubbles put [Anderson] in a whole other arena, whatever was going on with her mind. What went through my head is I thought she had a gun, so I literally kind of jumped, like it startled me…I didn't know what was in her hand…and then she sprayed it."
What Happens Next
Anderson is being charged with three counts of battery in the second degree. The second-degree aspect of the charge is because the alleged attack was racially motivated.
She has posted bond for her charges after initially being held at the Marion County Jail. Morant is attempting to get a restraining order against her, according to WSAZ.
Moore told Newsweek: "According to the Marion County Clerk of the Court's record search, her arraignment is scheduled for July 1, 2025, at 9.00 a.m."
Update 6/5/25, 9:29 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Zach Moore, public information officer at the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
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