Firefighter Charged with Stalking After Throwing 100+ Tampons Painted Red on Ex-Boyfriend’s Lawn: Police

On Thursday, a woman contacted police about the incident. She was a new girlfriend to the man whose property had been hit with the dozens and dozens of tampons, which had reportedly each been painted red.

Deputies reviewed surveillance footage, in which they saw a truck pull up, before people began throwing the tampons into the yard. Fox 35 Orlando reports that a woman is also allegedly seen running on foot into the yard and throwing more tampons.

The couple immediately threw suspicion on the man’s ex because of alleged social media posts she’d made, and other people purportedly telling them that she was not happy he had a new girlfriend.

The new girlfriend told the deputies she wanted to press charges. The boyfriend, who was at work when investigators arrived at the home, told them that he also wanted to file, according to the arrest affidavit.

By the next day, investigators had arrested the man’s former girlfriend, Gabrielle Franze, 28. The 28-year-old was accused of carrying out the elaborate stunt because she was unhappy that her ex had a new girlfriend, according to an arrest report reviewed by The Daytona Beach News-Journal.

At first, she said she didn’t even know where her ex-boyfriend lived, but had to back down on that claim when deputies showed her the video footage of her truck at his home. A nearby intersection camera even caught her license plate headed in the direction of the home just two minutes before the tampon assault. So she changed her story.

Franze, who works as an Orange County firefighter, was arrested as the “primary aggressor in the incident,” per Fox 35, and charged with two counts of misdemeanor stalking. She was released from the Volusia County Branch Jail on her own recognizance later that same day, states the News-Journal.

She was put on paid leave from the department, according to WFTV. The outlet reports that she has been with Orange County Fire Rescue since November 2019 and is a decorated firefighter.

Both her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend also work as firefighters, with the man serving as a lieutenant, per the News-Journal, but in different counties. The new girlfriend claimed on Facebook, per the outlet, that Franze was with other family members when they “threw 100+ tampons with suspected blood on them into our yard and driveway.”

“What they didn’t know is our cameras caught every second of it,” the post continued. “Firefighters are supposed to stand for honor and integrity — yet she chose to do something like this, and was arrested for stalking. That’s how you ruin a badge and a reputation.”

After allegedly finally admitting to police that she was there, according to court records, Franze claimed that the whole idea was her mother’s and her aunt’s. She said that they purchased the tampons and painted them red, loaded them into her truck, and then drove to her ex’s house, where they threw them on the lawn.

All the while, Franze insisted she didn’t do anything and it wasn’t her idea in the first place. But, as she was quickly educated by the authorities, per the News-Journal, that it doesn’t matter if it was her idea.

“Given the fact this plan was thought up, tampons were purchased, painted red to make them look used, loaded in the vehicle and thrown into the yard, demonstrates a course of conduct which evidences a continuity of purpose with the sole purpose to harass [the victims] and serves no legitimate purpose,” deputies wrote in their arrest report.