Woman Inspired by Home Alone Tosses Tarantula at 'Squatter,' Calls Herself 'Silly Goose'

Marissa Simonetti, 30, and her companion Mike Held, 69, were both hit with misdemeanor assault charges after Simonetti allegedly threw a live tarantula at her housemate, per Minneapolis Fox affiliate KMSP.

Despite living under the same roof, Simonetti described her lodger as a "squatter," which is what triggered the alleged incident.

The would-be Hennepin County Commissioner explained that she had rented space via Airbnb to local attorney Jackie Vasquez -- despite the fact that Simonetti appears to not be the property owner, and short-term rentals are barred in Edina, according to NBC affiliate KARE. Vasquez was studying for the California Bar Exam. The arrangement lasted about three weeks.

This past Friday, Simonetti, who was living upstairs while Vasquez was on the main level, decided she was done with this particular housemate. As Vasquez started recording, Simonetti was blasting loud Christian music, screaming, and banging pots and pans.

Finally, she started throwing things down the stairs toward Vasquez, including a live tarantula. Video footage -- captured by Vasquez as she was on the phone with police dispatchers, and shared by KARE's Lou Raguse to his X/Twitter account -- shows the alleged incident.

Raguse goes on to detail some other legal entanglements Simonetti has been through in the years leading up to this most recent altercation with the law in this thread.

Simonetti told a reporter from KMPS, things started to take a turn in the relationship after Vasquez complained about a "spider infestation" in the home. She said the complaints were relentless to the point she asked Vasquez to leave, claiming Vasquez responded with harassing messages.

She said that her "unhinged" response was an homage to the film Home Alone. "I mean, there is an element of humor to that movie, and at the end, what was I supposed to do?" she said. "And at the end of the day, unhinged got her out of the house."

"Perhaps I should have invited her up for tea and crumpets," Simonetti said of their conflict.

As for Vasquez, she shot down the "squatter" claim, arguing that she paid $1,500 to stay in the house, and when she advised the homeowner of the arrangement, she was given permission to stay. Simonetti confirmed that Vasquez had paid, but was less forthcoming when asked who actually owned the residence.

Despite her recent legal entanglement, Vasquez has said she has no intention of ending her campaign for County Commissioner. If anything, she feels the incident strengthens her candidacy.

"I'm good at creatively solving problems, and at the end of the day, I didn't physically harm anybody. I'm a little unconventional in my ways -- sometimes," she argued. "I mean, I'm a silly goose."

Aside from her political aspirations, Simonetti describes herself as the managing owner of Simonetti Real Estate Team, per KARE.

According to the outlet's research, Simonetti's real estate salesperson license was revoked in 2016 for making "false and misleading statements" and engaging "in fraudulent, deceptive and dishonest practices."

In response to this report, Simonetti told the outlet, "I do a couple wholesale or rental purchases in the background, own rental property, and in 2016 forgot to give someone a business card upon first meeting which turned into the Dept. of Commerce revoking my entire license. Lesson with license that government agencies want you to learn: grovel and apologize instead of try to establish the facts."

Simonetti has positioned herself as the conservative candidate in her nonpartisan special election race against state Rep. Heather Edelson for the empty District 6 seat, telling Eden Prairie Local News, "As the only conservative candidate, my values and vision will be different from the other candidates."

Her slogan, per her candidacy website, is "Rebuilding Safety Through Family Values: Do more, with less."

Simonetti was released on her own recognizance on Monday and ordered to have no contact with Vasquez. She now has a public defender and is next scheduled to appear in court in mid-July.