CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida Department of Environmental Protection employee was arrested for aggravated battery after troopers said he threw a cup of liquid at another driver during a road rage incident on I-75 in Charlotte County.
Kevin Holden was identified as the driver of a Florida DEP truck involved in the Sept. 23 incident on northbound I-75. The Florida Highway Patrol responded to the call about the road rage encounter near mile marker 152.
The victim told investigators that Holden's pickup truck was behind him with flashers on before the suspect approached in the center lane and began making obscene gestures, a police report said. Holden then threw a cup containing an unknown substance at the victim's vehicle while both were traveling at approximately 80 mph, according to troopers. Part of the liquid entered the victim's vehicle through the window.
After the incident, troopers said the victim pulled over to the shoulder and contacted authorities. The license plate traced back to a Florida DEP truck, leading investigators to Holden, who was working at Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park at the time.
Holden provided a different account to detectives, claiming the victim had flipped him off and used profanity first. He said he was holding a McDonald's cup when the victim swerved into his lane, causing him to overcorrect and accidentally drop the cup out his window. Holden told investigators he turned on his emergency lights and pulled over after the incident.
However, the report said Holden had previously told his manager that he "dropped a cup of liquid out of his vehicle during the fight."
Authorities determined that throwing the liquid at a vehicle traveling 80 mph could have caused the victim to become incapacitated and potentially crash, leading to the aggravated battery charge, the report said.
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