(CNN) A Florida prosecutor has downgraded the charges facing a woman who seized her estranged husband's guns after he was accused of domestic violence. But the prosecutor denied previous narratives that she committed the burglary to protect herself from him.

Instead, State Attorney Brian Haas alleged in a news conference on Wednesday, Courtney Irby stole the guns and other items from Joseph Irby's Lakeland apartment last month intending to sell or pawn them -- and turned the guns in to police only after a friend urged her to do so.

Courtney Irby, 32, also of Lakeland, was arrested on June 15 after police said she broke into her husband's apartment, stole his guns and handed them to Lakeland officers. She said she did so, according to police, because of an incident the day earlier -- where Joseph Irby allegedly drove his vehicle into the back of her car at low speeds, a case in which he faces a felony charge of aggravated battery.

Joseph Irby was charged with one count of aggravated battery, authorities said.

Police contend she still was not lawfully allowed to take his guns from his residence, and they arrested her on felony charges. News of that arrest sparked some public outrage, with some politicians arguing that she was being unfairly punished for trying to protect herself against potential violence.

Prosecutor says Courtney Irby's narrative is 'false'

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