Hernando County Democratic chair arrested after alleged bullhorn strike at protest
Brian Stewart, the chair of the Hernando County Democratic Party, was arrested Saturday and charged with simple battery after deputies said he hit a man in the head with a bullhorn during a “No Kings” protest, jail records and police reports show.
Deputies responded about 10:30 a.m. to the intersection of Mariner and Cortez boulevards, where they say Stewart, 63, struck a disabled veteran identified in police records as Thomas Michta. The protest was part of demonstrations in Hernando County and elsewhere over the Trump administration’s policies, WTSP reported.
According to an arrest affidavit cited by WTSP, Michta told deputies he was walking through the protest when he and Stewart argued. The affidavit says the man reported being in pain and had a visible lump on his head. A witness told deputies they observed a fight, and video the witness captured and reviewed by deputies allegedly showed Stewart using a bullhorn to hit the man in the head and push him in the chest. Deputies said they developed probable cause after reviewing the video, the witness statement and Stewart’s admissions, the affidavit says. Stewart was booked into the Hernando County Jail and released later that day, jail records show. He is scheduled to appear in court on April 27.
The Florida Republican Party called for Stewart’s removal as chair. “Violence and political intimidation have no place in our state, and Floridians deserve better than mere silence from Democrat leadership. Nikki Fried must immediately remove Brian Stewart from his position of leadership in the Florida Democrat Party!” Florida GOP Chairman Evan Power said in a statement to WTSP. The Florida Democratic Party and the Hernando County chapter said in separate statements that they “condemn violence.”
The Hernando County Democratic Party told the Tampa Bay Times it was “made aware that our Chair, Brian Stewart, was arrested after responding to a provocation from a local agitator who threw a drink on him and yelled obscenities at community members during a protest.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Hernando County Democratic Party for additional comment.
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