Former Melbourne councilwoman censured for alleged death threat against current Vice Mayor

Former Melbourne councilwoman censured for alleged death threat

The Melbourne City Council recently voted to censure a former City Council member for allegedly making a death threat against the Vice Mayor several months ago during a heated meeting.

MELBOURNE, Fla. - The Melbourne City Council recently voted to censure a former City Council member for allegedly making a death threat against the Vice Mayor several months ago during a heated meeting.

The incident was reported to police and submitted to the State Attorney's Office, but prosecutors declined to prosecute the case.

What we know:

The alleged incident happened on Sep. 24 during a city council meeting where the council was considering re-naming a street after Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed during a speaking event at a university in Utah.

The meeting was heated, prompting passionate discussions on both sides of the issues. Eventually, a recess was called.

It was during that recent that Yvonne Minus, the former council member, approached Vice Mayor David Neuman and made the alleged threat.

"I'm going to kill you," she allegedly said, according to a police report filed by the Vice Mayor that evening. 

In the police report obtained by FOX 35, the investigator on the case said he believed that Minus had threatened a public servant, violating Florida law.

"Through my investigation, after speaking with eyewitnesses and the victim, I concluded that Yvonne Minus threatened a public servant while attending a city council meeting, a violation of Florida State Statute 836.12(2a)."

Police submitted the case to the State Attorney's Office.

What they're saying:

The State Attorney's Office declined to prosecute the case because there was not enough evidence for a conviction, FOX 35 has learned.

However, the public pushed for accountability.

At a city meeting in November, many speakers asked the council to do something about the alleged threats because they were worried about political violence increasing.

The council discussed whether it could remove Minus from the many city boards that she is voluntarily part of. That measure failed because the city attorney wasn't sure that effort could be defended.

Instead, on Nov. 25, the council voted 5-2 to "censure" Minus for her alleged comments, effectively a formal written condemnation of her comments. 

FOX 35 reached out to Minus for comment on the vote and the situation. She declined to comment, citing the request of her legal counsel. 

Vice Mayor David Neuman said he fought for accountability because he does not believe local leaders should be threatened – regardless of their beliefs.

"We cannot normalize political violence and political threats," he said.

He said now that the vote is over, he hopes the council and city can move on and that the political rhetoric can simmer.