Ponte Vedra Beach woman arrested over Super Bowl squabble

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Cheryl Merrill, of Ponte Vedra Beach, was arrested at around 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 4 following a dispute with her boyfriend that turned physical. The argument, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, was regarding whether the Philadelphia Eagles or the New England Patriots would win the Super Bowl.

According to the official arrest report, 60-year-old Merrill and her boyfriend of five years had quarreled over which football team would win during the first quarter of the Super Bowl. The dispute escalated to the point where Merrill allegedly “became enraged” and threw a wooden shelf at her boyfriend, badly bruising his right hand to the extent that it became severely swollen. The victim, however, declined medical treatment.

The report further noted that, when law enforcement arrived on the scene, Merrill was “severely intoxicated” and belligerent, and refused to provide her own account of what had occurred. When asked by the arresting officer to remain by her vehicle, Merrill defied those orders and instead entered her car, turned on the engine and attempted to drive away. After repeatedly instructing Merrill to exit the vehicle to no avail, the officer then forcefully removed her from the car and arrested her on charges of aggravated battery and resisting a law enforcement officer without violence.

Merrill was released from the St. Johns County Jail Monday, Feb. 5 after posting $6,000 bail.