Family feud over pizza for breakfast ends with assault using grits, Florida cops say

A family dispute over whether pizza is right for breakfast escalated to assault, when a woman smacked her mom in the head with a handful of warm grits, according to investigators in Florida.

Proof of the attack was still stuck to the victim’s face when deputies arrived at the home around 8 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 12, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office reported in an affidavit. Marion County is just northwest of Orlando.

The 28-year-old suspect is the one who called 911, and she greeted deputies with a story of how her mother “hit herself in the face” with grits as part of a staged assault, the reports states.

Evidence hinted otherwise, one deputy noted.

“I made contact with the victim who had what appeared to be dried grits on the side of her face and her eyes were extremely red and watery,” the affidavit reports. “I observed what appeared to be a mark created by a hand in the grits and grits on the floor.”

The victim told deputies the argument began when her visiting daughter insisted on cooking a pizza in the oven at the same time grits were being prepared for children in the home.

When the mom advised her daughter to eat the grits or another breakfast food, the suspect “grabbed some of the grits (her mom) made and hit her in the face with them,” the affidavit states.

Details of any injuries were not released.

“The victim advised she did not contact law enforcement due to not wanting the defendant to get arrested,” officials said.

The suspect was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault, officials said.

Investigators noted the suspect recently began experiencing homelessness in Ocala, and was staying temporarily at her mother’s home.

This story was originally published February 16, 2024 at 10:19 AM with the headline "Family feud over pizza for breakfast ends with assault using grits, Florida cops say."