An aspiring GOP lawmaker accused of throwing a tarantula at her housemate has claimed she was simply recreating a scene from Home Alone.
Marisa Simonetti a Republican candidate for the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners in Edina, Minnesota, is facing an assault charge after she allegedly threw the live insect at her housemate to get the woman to move out.
But the 30-year-old insisted there was an ‘element of humor’ to the move as she described herself a ‘silly goose.’
Simonetti – who was last year charged with financial card fraud against her ex-lover – was arrested Friday and charged with fifth-degree assault after allegedly tossing the tarantula at 30-year-old attorney Jackie Vasquez.
The politician claimed Vasquez was ‘squatting’ at the property but the victim insists she had paid $1,500 to stay there through AirBnb.
Marisa Simonetti, 30, a Republican candidate for the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners in Edina, Minnesota, is facing an assault charge after she allegedly threw a live tarantula at her housemate in an attempt to get the woman to move out
Simonetti was arrested on Friday and charged with fifth-degree assault after allegedly tossing the tarantula toward her housemate, Jackie Vasquez, also 30, who lived downstairs
Shocking video footage captures the moment Simonetti blasts Christian music in a frenzied state while screaming, banging pots and pans before unleashing the spider down the stairs.
Simonetti claimed she had no other choice as she accused Vasquez of squatting.
In an interview with KMSP-TV, she referenced the humor in the movie ‘Home Alone,’ where a tarantula is placed on a criminal’s face, adding she’s just a ‘silly goose.’
‘I mean, there is an element of humor to that movie, and at the end, what was I supposed to do?’ Simonetti told KMSP. ‘And at the end of the day, ‘unhinged’ got her out of the house.’
Vasquez confirmed she moved out of the property over the weekend.
‘What she did is deeply disturbing and deeply distressing. It was right out of a scary movie,’ she said.
Simonetti was released on Monday without bond but was ordered not to have any contact with Vasquez, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
In a video she recorded of herself, after her arrest, she said there are always ‘two sides to a story’ and she will tell hers soon.
Simonetti said Vasquez had been renting a room from her since early June on Airbnb, which Vasquez confirmed. However, reports show that Simonetti does not own the home and that Airbnb rentals are not allowed in the city, according to KARE-TV.
The incident on Friday reportedly began after Vasquez repeatedly complained about a spider infestation in the house.
But the two women had a history of fighting, including accusations by Simonetti that Vasquez once closed a door on her arm, according to the outlet.
‘Fifth-degree assault means someone only needs to feel fear or feel afraid of bodily harm,’ she told KARE.
‘I never hit anybody. I never touched anybody. And the reason I was held longer is because she was in my house. So, it had to potentially be considered a domestic.’
Vasquez, an attorney, said the incident was straight out of a horror film.
Siminetti referenced the humor in the movie ‘Home Alone,’ where a tarantula is placed on a criminal’s face, and said she’s just a ‘silly goose.’
Last year, Simonetti was accused of making transactions on her ex-lover’s financial cards and accounts in amounts totaling $75,000 and $8,876.
The felony charges were ultimately dropped after the victim refused to cooperate with prosecutors.
The aspiring lawmaker’s campaign page describes her as the only conservative candidate in the race who hopes to rebuild safety through family values.
In an effort to promote her campaign message and gain support, Simonetti once posted a video on X saying that having ‘low standards is selfish’ and how tired she is of hearing that ‘Minnesota is an embarrassment’.
But despite utilizing classic GOP election strategies, she has already lost the May 14 special election for the vacant District 6 seat on the county board to State Representative Heather Edelson.
She was campaigning to become one of the seven Hennepin County Board commissioners who are tasked to approve budgets for both the county attorney and sheriff offices.
Despite the loss, Simonetti has previously indicated that she will once again compete against Edelson in the upcoming November election.