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Judge's stepson barred from her after threats
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer INVERNESS -- Circuit Judge Barbara Gurrola was granted a legal order Friday that bars her stepson from coming within 500 feet of her. Gurrola sought the order after a June 9 incident in which she said her stepson, Michael Gurrola, screamed at her and threatened to kill her during a drunken rampage. Michael Gurrola, 41, was not present during the brief hearing Friday before retired Circuit Judge John Booth. Judge Gurrola, who represented herself during the hearing, chose not to make a statement in court. According to her petition, Michael Gurrola arrived at her Inverness home about 1 p.m. June 9 to pick up his two sons, ages 6 and 3. He appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs and had not slept in the past 24 hours, the petition stated. "He was angry, hostile and using profanity, especially to me," Judge Gurrola wrote. Michael Gurrola demanded his sons. His father, Rudolph, tried to calm him and prevent him from leaving. Michael Gurrola was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence last month, and Judge Gurrola said she did not know if he still had a valid driver's license. "We could not allow the boys to go with their father in his condition," she wrote. Michael Gurrola said he was going to bathe his sons and took them into the bathroom. The boys began screaming and Judge Gurrola said she heard her stepson swear at them and tell them to "shut up." A fight broke out between Michael Gurrola and his father. Judge Gurrola dialed 911, and Inverness police arrived at the residence. No one was arrested. Her stepson has threatened to kill both her and her husband several times, the judge wrote. He has also punched holes in the walls of their home with his fists. "I am afraid of him and request that he have no contact with me and not be allowed to come to my home," Judge Gurrola wrote. The legal order prohibits Michael Gurrola from coming within 500 feet of his stepmother's house and bans him from her workplace, the Citrus County Courthouse, except for any mandatory court appearances. In her petition, Judge Gurrola also asked that her stepson be required to participate in treatment or counseling services. Assistant State Attorney Lisa Herndon said she was not aware of any charges resulting from the June 9 altercation. Michael Gurrola has been in almost constant trouble with the law since he was 24, according to Florida Department of Law Enforcement records. He has been arrested 23 times since 1984 on charges ranging from aggravated assault to battery to robbery to cocaine dealing. Michael Gurrola's most recent arrest was in May, after he was pulled over by a Citrus County sheriff's deputy who saw him weaving from the extreme left to the extreme right of Watson Road outside of Inverness in his gray Mercedes-Benz. He was charged with one count of driving under the influence. That case will probably be handled in Marion County, where Michael Gurrola is being tried on charges of burglary with battery, resisting arrest and aggravated abuse, according to Assistant State Attorney Jerry Burford. Michael Gurrola's next court appearance is scheduled for July 2, Burford said. -- Crime reporter Carrie Johnson can be reached at 860-7309 or cjohnson@sptimes.com.
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