Deaf Florida Man Caught Using Sign Language To Threaten Woman

A Florida man was busted for threatening the life of a woman with sign language, The Smoking Gun reports.

Cops arrested 35-year-old Robert Sowle, of St. Petersburg, on Monday (October 4) for allegedly sending a menacing video text to a woman on September 28. In the footage, Sowle reportedly described " sign language 'I’ll kill you. OK? I’ll kill you,'" according to a criminal complaint.

The victim told police Sowle, who is deaf, believed she took his mail and got upset with her. Authorities learned a landlord filed an eviction lawsuit against Sowle and his ex-girlfriend for not making rent payments for several months.

The woman says she feared for her life, but her relationship with the St. Petersburg resident was unclear due to redactions in the complaint, reporters noted. The deaf man recently moved to Florida from Michigan, where he has a criminal history of domestic violence, assault, and resisting police.

Sowle was booked into Pinellas County Jail on a felony charge. His bond was set at $10,000 and he awaits trial.

Florida residents have come up with creative ways to try to commit crimes. One man recently blundered his attempt by coming back to the scene of the crime. Another Florida man tried smuggling drugs into a jail -- but you won't guess where he kept it.