On May 27, 1974, Wuornos was arrested in Jefferson County, Colorado, for driving under the influence, disorderly conduct, and firing a .22-caliber pistol from a moving vehicle. She was later charged with failure to appear.



In 1976, Wuornos hitchhiked to Florida, where she met 69-year-old yacht club president Lewis Gratz Bell.

They married that same year, and the announcement of their nuptials was printed in the society pages of the local newspaper.