A disagreement over a youth softball game ended with the wife of an Alabama county commissioner facing felony charges in Florida after she allegedly pulled a gun on a mother and two children.
April Wilks, 46, of Geneva, Alabama, was booked into the Bay County Jail on Monday. Online records show she faces a third-degree felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, alongside a first-degree misdemeanor charge for the improper exhibition of a firearm or dangerous weapon.
The incident unfolded around 6:49 p.m. on June 6 at Frank Brown Park, a sports complex in Panama City Beach. According to police reports, officers arrived at the scene after a victim from Perry, Florida, called 911.
The victim told responding officers that she and her two children were walking through the park’s parking lot when Wilks approached them and began shouting. The mother explained to police that the tension started earlier in the day during a tournament game, stemming from a disagreement over calls made on the field. While the victim believed the issue had been resolved, the argument reignited in the parking lot.
According to WTVY, the confrontation escalated until Wilks pulled out a black-and-silver revolver and pointed it directly at the mother and her children.
The victim and her children immediately fled the area to call for help, while Wilks was seen driving away from the complex.
During the initial investigation at the ballpark, officers located Wilks’ husband, Bart Wilks, who serves as the Geneva County District 3 commissioner in Alabama. He was at the field with the couple’s child and informed officers that his wife had simply left the park to get food and was on her way back.
Hours later, after waiting 30 minutes for her to return, both Mr. Wilks and local law enforcement tried to reach Mrs. Wilks by phone. She did not answer the calls, despite having been contacted earlier and told that she was needed back at the sports complex for a police investigation.
Jail records do not make it immediately clear whether Wilks was tracked down and arrested by officers or if she later turned herself in to authorities. Following her booking at the Bay County Jail, she was released after posting a $6,000 bond.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
