By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-06-22 22:10:57 | Updated at 2026-06-24 14:41:50
1 day ago
A pickleball game turned into a violent mess after a nurse allegedly whacked a man on the head with a paddle in an affluent Florida neighborhood after he criticized her son, police said.
Michele Bannister, 47, was arrested on May 31 after she allegedly struck an unnamed man 'several times' in the head with a paddle at Treaty Park in St. Augustine, according to an affidavit obtained by Law&Crime.
The alleged incident quickly escalated around 10am when a match between Bannister and the man turned heated over the retrieval of a ball, the affidavit stated.
When the game was over, the man allegedly approached Bannister's unnamed son to 'critique' his playing style, which enraged the mom, police said.
After hearing the man allegedly confront her son, Bannister 'interjected herself' into the spat and got physically violent with her opponent, documents stated.
According to police, Bannister, who is a local family nurse practitioner, left the man with multiple bloody cuts to his face.
After she was arrested, Bannister claimed she was protecting her son during the confrontation, but police later determined there was not 'an imminent threat to life, limb, or a propensity of violence about to occur,' the affidavit stated.
When deputies with the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office arrived at the scene, Bannister allegedly provided cops with a fake name, stating that she was 'Aiyanna Lei', the affidavit stated.
Michele Bannister, 47, was arrested on May 31 after she allegedly struck an unnamed man 'several times' in the head with a paddle at Treaty Park in St. Augustine, police said
Bannister, who is a local family nurse practitioner, claimed she was defending her son when she allegedly attacked the man with the paddle at the pickleball court in the affluent neighborhood (pictured)
But after giving them her home address, officers quickly discovered her real identity, police said.
Bannister works for James M. Grimes, MD Orthopedics in St. Augustine, according to the company's website.
Before she was a nurse practitioner, Bannister worked as a critical care nurse for 13 years, her profile said. She was also a helicopter mechanic in the Marine Corps.
She's been described as an 'active mom' who enjoys participating in sports with her children.
According to public records, Bannister is a mother to her 25 and 27-year-old sons.
Pam Hatch, a woman who was playing pickleball on a nearby court at the time of the alleged attack, said she rushed over to help the man after he was injured.
Hatch, who also goes by 'Pickleball Pam', told Action News JAX: 'She probably got in six good whacks with the side of the paddle.
'She was being torn off of him as well. She was upset. Something really did set her off.'
Pam Hatch, who also goes by 'Pickleball Pam' (pictured), said she raced over to help the man after he was left bleeding from the alleged attack
Hatch, who is the North Florida Ambassador for USA Pickleball, said she has played pickleball with both Bannister and the victim.
'There was blood kind of all over the place. I was helping the victim ring out the towel because it was a bloody mess,' she recalled to the outlet.
She added: 'When I last looked up, I saw them all four playing. I’m not sure what was said, but it was certainly enough to provoke an altercation like that.
'I’ve played with the victim before and many people out there. I don’t think he would have provoked her, but I don’t know exactly what was said.'
Bannister has pleaded not guilty to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and giving false identification to law enforcement.
She was released from jail after posting an $8,000 bond and is set to appear in court on July 28, according to St. Johns Citizen.
Her lawyer, Rosemarie Peoples of the Smith & Eulo law firm, told the outlet that Bannister's 'heroic' actions were necessary in order to protect her son.
Bannister has pleaded not guilty to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and giving false identification to law enforcement. (Pictured: An aerial view of the pickleball courts at Treaty Park)
'Michele Bannister is a mom, nurse, and model citizen,' Peoples said.
'She is wrongly accused of a crime; her actions were needed to stop a violent attempt to attack her young son. I expect that a jury of her peers will fully exonerate her heroic efforts to defend her child.'
The Daily Mail contacted Bannister, her sons, her employer, and her lawyer for comment.
