Police in Florida never know what they're going to encounter on a routine call.
One incident this week featured an unusual weapon.
And a Florida woman used collard greens as a weapon in one attack that ended with a nasty surprise.
Deputies respond to food fight gone wrong
Putnam County Sheriff's deputies got a call around 9:15 p.m. Monday night about an altercation at a home in Satsuma, Florida.
When they arrived, the victims told a story that sounded more like a bad sitcom than real life.
Wendy Leigh Messer, 58, allegedly threw a plate of collard greens at one victim, hitting her with the southern staple.
But the greens were just the opening act.
Messer grabbed a kitchen knife and made what deputies called a "threatening and concerning statement" about her brother coming over to assault the victim with it.
The first victim fled to her neighbor's house to tell her what happened.
That's when things escalated from bizarre to dangerous.
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Cast-iron skillet becomes weapon of choice
The neighbor told deputies Messer approached her in a "threatening manner" while holding a cast-iron skillet raised to shoulder height.
Anyone who's ever lifted one of those old-school skillets knows they're heavy enough to do serious damage.
The neighbor said she feared Messer would hit her with the skillet.
The first victim managed to talk Messer into dropping the kitchen weapon.
But during the argument, Messer swung her hand near the second victim's face multiple times, narrowly missing her nose, according to Deputy Austin Chewning's incident report.
Deputies placed Messer under arrest.
That's when the situation took another turn.
Suspect's pockets hide bigger problems
While Deputy Chewning searched Messer, she kept reaching for her front right pocket.
He asked if there were illegal drugs in her pocket.
Messer's response? "Maybe marijuana."
Deputies found two glass smoking pipes containing residue in her front right pocket.
Based on their training and experience, deputies identified the items as drug paraphernalia commonly used to smoke crack cocaine.
They also discovered a glass vial containing pieces of a white rock-like substance.
The substance tested positive for cocaine.
Messer tried claiming the jeans she was wearing weren't hers and that she'd been set up.
She eventually took responsibility for the drugs.
The suspect told deputies the second victim had battered her, but authorities detected no injuries on Messer.
Prolific offender faces new charges
When deputies ran Messer's name through their databases, they discovered she's been designated as a "prolific offender."
She has a conviction for battery and domestic battery from October 2012.
Jail records show Messer has a long history of arrests in Putnam County for assault, theft, drug charges, and other offenses.
Inside the first victim's residence, deputies photographed collard greens on the dining room floor and kitchen counter.
They also found a folded paper plate containing greens stuffed into an empty whipped cream container.
Deputy Chewning noted this was "consistent with someone cleaning and discarding the item."
Messer was booked into Putnam County Jail at 1:12 a.m. Tuesday morning.
She faces charges of battery, aggravated assault with a weapon without intent to kill, and cocaine possession.
Her bond was set at $15,500.
Food fights usually end with someone getting sent to their room.
This one ended with someone getting sent to jail with a lengthy rap sheet catching up to her.
Sources:
- Jake Jordan, "Florida woman arrested after throwing collard greens and threatening victims with skillet," WFTV.com, January 10, 2026.
- Brandon D. Oliver, "Report: Crack found on skillet-wielding suspect," Putnam County News, January 7, 2026.
