Motorcyclist sentenced after aggressive driving in The Villages

A motorcyclist was convicted of a road rage incident at Lake Deaton Plaza in The Villages.

Frederick Charles Nelson, 62, of Wildwood, pleaded no contest to an assault charge in Sumter County Court earlier this month and was sentenced to two days in jail, which he has already served.

A man said he was driving his rented 2022 Dodge Ram pickup near Morse Boulevard and State Road 44 around 1 p.m. on Feb. 7, 2023, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. While driving north of Morse Boulevard, the man in the pickup and Nelson, who was riding a motorcycle, “were involved in a verbal incident of driving aggression,” the report states.

The driver of the pickup told deputies he “disengaged from the incident of driving aggression” and turned right onto State Road 44 toward the Circle K gas station at Lake Deaton Plaza. He said he was driving east on State Road 44 and saw the motorcycle following him. He parked at a gas pump and Nelson approached him. The pickup’s driver’s window was rolled down and Nelson “became so angry” that he reached through the open window and punched the man in the left side of his face. The pickup driver got out and tried to defend himself by kicking Nelson. That prompted Nelson, who is 6 feet 2 inches tall and 250 pounds, to break open the pickup’s driver’s door, striking the other man’s right leg near the back of the ankle. His injuries were consistent with his description to deputies.

The incident was captured by video surveillance at Circle K.

Nelson fled the scene before officers arrived, but was tracked down at home.