A mental health unit colonel of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, who has since resigned, was arrested June 18 after she allegedly stalked her soon-to-be ex-husband and his alleged partner while threatening to harm them.
Mindy Von Ansbach Young, a sworn deputy of the ECSO since 1999 and a colonel since 2018, was arrested on charges of felony criminal mischief, two counts of aggravated stalking, harassing a witness and breach of the peace, according to the Office of the State Attorney. At 48 years old, Von Ansbach Young was one of six colonels employed with the ECSO and ranks just below Sheriff Chip Simmons’ three commanders and two chief deputies.
Von Ansbach Young’s husband, Ryan, appeared to be living with another woman during their separation, according to reports obtained by the News Journal. On June 11 around 3:30 a.m., Von Ansbach Young allegedly traveled to the home where her husband was staying during their separation and demanded they come outside.
“(Her husband) reported that he observed Mindy walk over to the driver’s side of (the woman’s) Ford Mustang,” the report said. “A few hours later, (the woman) and Ryan observed damaged to the driver’s side of (her) Mustang, specifically deep scratches and etching with letters that appear to spell the word (profanity) followed by deep scrapes that extend toward the back of the vehicle.”
The woman pressed criminal charges against Von Ansbach Young.
Two days later, on June 13, investigators say both Von Ansbach Young and her husband attended a birthday party. During the party, Von Ansbach Young allegedly confronted Ryan and said, “If you do not have (the woman) drop charges, it will be a nasty divorce, and I will bleed you dry of money.”
Von Ansbach Young’s husband informed police he felt compelled to try and get the charges dropped, but the woman he was living with refused.
“After these serious incidents, Ryan stated that he was terrified of what Mindy would do to him or (the woman), to the point that he had to hide his vehicle and left his cell phone at his dad’s house so that Mindy could not track him,” the report said.
Investigators also uncovered screenshots taken by the woman that allegedly showed Von Ansbach Young repeatedly contacting her husband and the woman’s workplace to attempt to get the charges dropped.
According to her husband, he and Von Ansbach Young “have a history of a domestic relationship,” and he told investigators that him being the victim of domestic violence was the “catalyst” for their impending divorce.
He claimed that in March 2026, Von Ansbach Young slapped him in the face in front of their children. He also claimed Von Ansbach Young threatened to kill him and the woman he’s staying with if they were to get a divorce, saying that “she isn’t scared to go to prison.”
Von Ansbach Young’s husband also noted another incident during a camping trip when they got into an argument.
“During this argument Ryan started to record Mindy, Mindy then pushed him, physically restrained Ryan to the ground scratching and clawing at Ryan to retrieve the cell phone,” the report said. “Ryan then took off running to get away from Mindy after she had caused multiple scratches and marks on his arm.”
When investigators interviewed Von Ansbach Young, she denied any involvement in damaging the Mustang, but the detective said she appeared to “show signs of deceit” while answering the question and “deflected the conversation answering questions that were not asked while failing to answer simple questions.”
“When Mindy would change the subject, she would redirect the conversation to discussion around Ryan’s past and say that he was the person at fault in their relationship,” the report said.
The News Journal reached out to Von Ansbach Young for comment, but she declined to talk.
Von Ansbach Young was released from Escambia County Jail on $15,250 bond within 20 minutes of her booking June 18, according to jail records.
Benjamin Johnson is the crime and military reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He covers local law enforcement, courts and military within Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. He can be reached at bjohnson@pnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Ex-ECSO colonel allegedly threatened to kill husband over divorce
Reporting by Benjamin Johnson, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
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By Benjamin Johnson, Pensacola News Journal | USA TODAY Network
