A man who brought her dog to the vet slipped a note to women at the front desk and she walked away.
The staff knew immediately she was in danger and got the vet to act quickly.
The note indicated she had been beaten and threatened by her boyfriend; the only way she got out of the house was telling him the dog was very ill and she needed to get him to the vet immediatenly
The note that Carolyn Reichle gave to a member of staff at a veterinary office in DeLand Florida read: “Call the cops. My boyfriend is threatening me. He has a gun. Please don’t let him know.”
Reichle had allegedly been held in her home for two days, beaten and threatened by her boyfriend, Jeremy Floyd. Staff at the animal hospital called police who arrested a surprised Floyd back at the house. He was found to be carrying a loaded gun. Reichle was taken to an area hospital and treated for a head injury, a black eye and bruised arms. She told police she tried to get the gun away from him and during the struggle the weapon went off twice.
Police have charged Floyd with domestic violence, aggravated assault with a firearm, false imprisonment, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and simple battery.
By the way, the dog was not ill--he was the means for her to get out of the house and alert police.
Here's how the story was covered locally.