Holmes Beach police filed a capias request Feb. 15 for a third-degree felony charge against Bradenton resident Everett Hodapp, 53, for alleged aggravated assault.
Three officers responded Feb. 15 to reports of a fight involving more than 10 people at the Manatee Public Beach, 4000 Gulf Drive.
They arrived to find the fight had ended and some of the involved parties had left the scene.
The officers spoke with witnesses, including one who said the fight began with an argument between Hodapp and another man.
The witness told police the other man spit on Hodapp before Hodapp began fighting him.
Another officer located a man, who had visible injuries to his face, in the beach parking lot.
The man said he was playing a prank on his wife when he was confronted by a woman in Hodapp’s group. He said they had a verbal altercation before Hodapp and others attacked him.
The man said Hodapp tried to gouge his eyes out during the fight and that he wanted to press charges.
Hodapp, meanwhile, told police he did not want to press charges against the man who spit on him. He did not sign a waiver of prosecution at the scene.
An officer filed a capias request against Hodapp for aggravated assault for “escalating his level of force to grievous bodily harm,” according to a report.
The capias request was submitted to the state attorney’s office, which will review the case and determine if a charge will be filed against Hodapp.
The SAO can then issue a court summons or a warrant for Hodapp’s arrest.
If arrested and convicted, punishment for a third-degree felony charge includes up to five years in prison or probation and a fine of up to $5,000.