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Chair of Hernando Democratic Party arrested during 'No Kings' protest

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HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA)— The Chair of Hernando County Democratic
Party, Brian Stewart, was arrested at a “No Kings” protest over the
weekend.

According to an affidavit released by the Hernando County Sheriff’s
Office, a deputy was sent to the area of Mariner Boulevard and Cortez
Boulevard in Spring Hill at about 10:31 a.m. Saturday.

Upon arrival, the deputy spoke to a man who said he got into an
argument with Stewart, which escalated when Stewart “struck him against
his will.”

The sheriff’s office stated the man “reported pain and had a visible
lump on his head, which was consistent with being struck.”

Video released by the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, which is above,
showed the events leading up to the incident.

The video featured Stewart intervening as counter-protestors followed a
public official who was attempting to avoid them.

Stewart began playing the siren on his megaphone loudly to interrupt
the counter-protestors, one of whom began shouting about potentially
suffering hearing damage.

During the argument, the counter-protester poured a liquid into
Stewart’s megaphone, and Stewart is then seen hitting the man with the
device. This then led to an even more volatile argument between the
protestors and counter-protestors.

“Based on the victim’s statement, the witness statement, the video
evidence, the visible injury to Thomas Michta, and the defendant’s own
admissions, I developed probable cause to believe that the defendant
intentionally struck and touched Thomas Michta against his will and
caused bodily harm,” the affidavit stated.

Stewart was arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge.

The Hernando County Democratic Party confirmed Stewart’s arrest on
Saturday.

The Hernando County Democratic Party released the following statement:

The Hernando County Democratic Party strongly condemns violence. We
have been 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. We
are monitoring the incident.

On Sunday, the Florida GOP said Stewart was arrested for violently
attacking a disabled veteran at the rally on Saturday, contradicting
what the Hernando Democratic Party said.

“Radical liberals are spiraling out of control! Where is the
condemnation from @NikkiFried and Democrat leadership?” The Florida GOP
said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“No Kings” protests drew crowds across Tampa Bay on Saturday, where
demonstrators voiced opposition to what they described as bureaucratic
overreach by the Trump administration.

Demonstrations were seen across Tampa, Clearwater, Gulfport, Sarasota,
and St. Petersburg.

https://www.wfla.com/news/local-news/hernando-county/chair-of-hernando-democratic-party-arrested-during-no-kings-protest/

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Chair of Hernando Democratic Party arrested during 'No Kings' protest Hail Trump <hailtrump@gmail.com> - 2026-03-31 22:37 -0700

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