A 91-year-old woman in Margate, Florida, is facing a hate crime-related aggravated assault charge after police say she fired a BB gun at a neighbor during a dispute that reportedly began over a dog walking near her property.
Local 10 News reporter Roy Ramos said Lois Helen Roeckelein was taken into custody more than a year after the alleged incident, which happened in May 2025 along a canal behind her home in a 55-plus community.
The alleged victim, Marilyn Lopez, said she had been walking her dog, Cash, when Roeckelein confronted her and threatened to shoot if she did not leave the area.
Lopez said Roeckelein then fired the BB gun. She was not injured.
The case has drawn attention because of Roeckelein’s age, the alleged anti-immigrant comments, and the long delay before police acted on the warrant. It also raises difficult questions about neighbor disputes, aging, mental health, and the point where frustration turns into a criminal allegation.
A Dog Walk Along the Canal Turns Into a Confrontation
According to Ramos’ report, Lopez was walking Cash near the canal behind Roeckelein’s home when the encounter happened.
Lopez said the older woman confronted her while armed with a BB gun.
“If you don’t get out of my property, I’m going to shoot you right now,” Lopez said Roeckelein told her.
Lopez told Local 10 that Roeckelein then began firing.
“That lady started shooting,” Lopez said.
Police say the alleged shooting took place on May 4, 2025, in the 6800 block of Royal Palm Boulevard. The report did not say how many BBs were fired, whether any struck nearby property, or whether Roeckelein was standing inside her yard when she allegedly fired.
But the fact that no one was injured does not make the allegation harmless. BB guns can still cause pain and, depending on where a projectile lands, can cause serious injury.
A neighborhood complaint about a dog can be handled in a lot of ways: a conversation, a call to animal control, a homeowners’ association complaint, or simply walking away. Allegedly picking up a BB gun is what turned this from an ugly argument into a criminal case.
Hate Crime Allegation Linked to Earlier Remarks
Ramos reported that Lopez said this was not the first conflict between the two women.
She claimed Roeckelein had made anti-immigrant comments during previous encounters.
“That lady, two times before that, she said, ‘I will not rest until I see all of you immigrants go back where you belong,’” Lopez said.
Authorities have treated those reported comments as part of the reason the case includes a hate crime allegation.
That distinction matters. A dispute over property lines or dog waste can still lead to assault charges, but an allegation that someone targeted another person because of immigration status, ethnicity, or perceived background raises the seriousness of the case.
The charge is still only an accusation. Roeckelein has not been convicted, and the report does not provide her side of the confrontation in her own words.
Still, the alleged remarks will likely become an important part of how prosecutors explain motive if the case moves forward.
Neighbors Describe a Property Dispute
Another neighbor told Local 10 that Roeckelein gave a very different explanation for the problem.
The neighbor said she asked Roeckelein what happened, and Roeckelein complained that Lopez’s dog was repeatedly going behind her property and leaving waste without it being cleaned up.
“That lady with the little dog keeps walking behind my property and the dog keeps messing and she doesn’t pick up the stuff,” Roeckelein allegedly said.
That claim does not excuse the alleged shooting. But it gives some context for how the dispute may have grown over time.
Minor neighborhood problems can become larger when people feel ignored, disrespected, or trapped in a conflict they see every day. A dog walking route may sound small, but when it happens close to someone’s home, it can turn into a repeated source of tension.
Even so, an argument over pet waste is not a reason to threaten someone with any kind of weapon. That is where ordinary conflict ends and potential danger begins.
Taken Into Custody More Than a Year Later
Margate police responded to the original incident in 2025, according to Ramos.
Residents said they watched in surprise as Roeckelein was taken into custody under the Baker Act, Florida’s mental health law that allows temporary evaluation in certain circumstances.
But she was not formally arrested at that time.
Roeckelein was issued a notice to appear in court, the report said, but she did not show up. More than a year passed before police realized there was an active warrant tied to the case.
Ramos reported that officers discovered the warrant after Roeckelein became involved in a traffic crash on Wednesday.
That is how the case returned to the surface.
The delay is unusual enough to draw attention. When someone misses a court date connected to an alleged crime, the legal system can issue a warrant, but the warrant may not lead to an immediate arrest unless officers encounter the person or actively search for them.
For Lopez, the long gap likely added to the stress of the situation. She told Ramos that she remained concerned not only about what happened to her, but also about Roeckelein’s ability to care for herself and her husband.
Concerns About Age and Mental Health
Lopez said Roeckelein was known to be caring for her 101-year-old husband.
That fact gave the case an added layer of concern, especially because residents said Roeckelein was otherwise “sharp as a tack” despite her age.
Lopez told Local 10 that she believed officials should look into what kind of help the couple may need.
“You have to figure it out what type of help they need because they are seniors,” Lopez said. “If she’s not well mentally, she’s not in the capacity to help the husband.”
It is a complicated part of the story. Someone can be elderly, stressed, dealing with caregiving responsibilities, and still be responsible for their actions. At the same time, age-related health or mental changes can make conflicts harder to understand and harder to resolve.
The Baker Act involvement from the original incident suggests police saw some reason to seek an evaluation at the time, though the report did not provide details about what happened after that.
It would be wrong to assume that Roeckelein has a particular diagnosis based only on her age or on a brief mention of the Baker Act. But Lopez’s concerns show that neighbors saw the dispute as more than an ordinary argument.
Released From Jail and Staying With Friends
Roeckelein was later released from jail, Ramos reported.
Local 10 said she was staying with friends, and the report indicated she had reportedly moved to Port St. Lucie.
She turns 92 in July.
For now, the case remains unresolved. Roeckelein faces an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge tied to the alleged BB gun incident, along with the hate crime allegation connected to the reported comments toward Lopez.
The case is a reminder that a person’s age does not erase the seriousness of an alleged threat. At the same time, cases involving elderly defendants can require courts and families to consider health, housing, caregiving, and support needs alongside the criminal allegations.
What began as a dispute over a dog walking near a canal has become a case involving accusations of violence, prejudice, and a community wondering whether two elderly neighbors needed help long before the conflict reached this point.
A former park ranger and wildlife conservationist, Lisa’s passion for survival started with her deep connection to nature. Raised on a small farm in northern Wisconsin, she learned how to grow her own food, raise livestock, and live off the land. Lisa is our dedicated Second Amendment news writer and also focuses on homesteading, natural remedies, and survival strategies. Lisa aims to help others live more sustainably and prepare for the unexpected.
