Hernando Democratic Chair Arrested on Battery Charge

Brian Stewart, the chair of the Hernando County Democratic Party, was arrested Saturday on a misdemeanor battery charge following a confrontation with a counterprotester at a "No Kings" demonstration in Spring Hill, Florida. The incident occurred near the intersection of Cortez Boulevard and Mariner Boulevard, where Stewart allegedly struck a disabled military veteran in the head with a megaphone before pushing him.

Deputies responded to the scene around 10:30 a.m., according to an arrest affidavit. The counterprotester, identified as Thomas Michta, told authorities he had been walking through the protest area when an argument with Stewart escalated. Michta reported pain and showed a visible lump on his head. A witness provided video footage that deputies reviewed, capturing Stewart extending the megaphone toward Michta, who was initially off-camera. In the 12-second clip, Stewart accuses the man of pouring a drink on him and asks, "Are you out of your mind?" before pressing the megaphone against his chest and shoving him backward. Both men remained on their feet, and the video does not clearly show a strike to the head. Michta received medical treatment at the scene from...