DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The sister of the pregnant woman who is accused of driving a minivan carrying her three young children into the ocean surf has filed an injunction against the woman's husband, who has allegedly been making threats against her family.
[VIDEO: Beach camera 1 |Camera 2 | Camera 3 | Camera 4] AUDIO: 911 call from SC | 911 call well-being check | VIDEO: Woman drives into ocean |Charges]
Ebony Wilkerson, 32, faces three counts of attempted murder and three counts of child abuse after the incident last week. Her children -- ages 3, 9 and 10 -- were not seriously injured and were rescued by beach officials and onlookers.
Wilkerson's sister, Jessica Harrell, filed the injunction against Wilkerson's husband, Lutful Ronjon. According to the records, Ronjon made threats against Harrell and her family if she helped Wilkerson escape from what she called an abusive marriage.
"(Ronjon) threatened to kill me and my sister if I participated in helping my sister escape his abuse," Harrell wrote in the request for the injunction. "I have to testify against him on behalf of my sister, and am afraid to come to the courthouse."
The injunction cites examples of the violence Harrell says she's seen, including an incident in 2005 in which she said she had to stop him from strangling his wife.
In that case, Harrell claims Ronjon threatened her with a knife when she tried to stop him.
Harrell said Ronjon threatened to kill Harrell on March 2 after Wilkerson left her home in South Carolina to be with family in Daytona Beach.
Harrell said in the injunction that she is so fearful of Ronjon she has gone into hiding.
Ronjon denies the allegations that he has been abusive to his wife or that he threatened his sister-in-law.
Ronjon traveled from South Carolina to Florida after Wilkerson was arrested last week.
Wilkerson's public defender, James Purdy, told Local 6 a judge will decide if her children will stay in state custody, be placed in foster care or go to stay with relatives. A dependency hearing on Monday ended with no decision on custody of the children.
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