A Florida woman was arrested after she brought her estranged husband’s guns to a Florida police station, claiming she feared for her life.
Courtney Irby, 32, retrieved two firearms from the home of her husband, Joseph, after he allegedly refused to follow a court order to turn them over himself. She was charged with armed burglary and theft of a firearm after a police officer informed her that she had just confessed to a crime. The Irbys are in the middle of a contentious divorce, as first reported by the Huffington Post.
Following a recent court appearance about their divorce, Joseph Kirby was arrested for repeatedly ramming into his wife’s vehicle and eventually running her off the road, according to the arrest affidavit. Courtney called police shortly after the incident and advised them that she feared for her life.
Courtney has allegedly filed several protective orders against her husband in the past. She testified the following day against her husband via phone. Joseph was given pretrial release that day on the condition that he not own, possess, or carry a firearm.
Not believing her husband would comply with the court’s stipulations and scared for her own safety, Courtney took Joseph’s two guns to the Lakeland Police Department. After an officer asked whether she had obtained permission from her husband to take the firearms, she informed them that she had not and was arrested. She was kept in custody for six days before being released on bond.
Attorney for Courtney Irby, Lawrence Shearer, felt that his client’s actions did not amount to theft. He stated to the Huffington Post, “Theft is to deprive someone of the right or benefit of property … She didn’t do either one of those. She was taking them to the police department for safekeeping … I have faith in our state attorney’s office that they will do the right thing.”
