Man running for Florida governor accused of battery in domestic altercation

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A man running for Florida governor has been arrested on charges he battered two older people in a home.

Kevin Cichowski, 46, was charged with multiple counts of aggravated battery, tampering with a witness and robbery, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

Cichowski is listed as a Democratic candidate for governor with the Florida Division of Elections and previously ran for Palm Coast mayor in 2021. The primary is scheduled Aug. 18, and the race to replace Gov. Ron DeSantis includes dozens of candidates.

In body camera footage shared with The Associated Press, Cichowski claimed his parents were going through a mental health problem and that his father tried to kill him.

“I haven’t done anything wrong,” Cichowski said as officers escorted him to a patrol vehicle. “This is insane.”

The sheriff’s office said in a statement that deputies responded to a call in Palm Coast on Friday morning after receiving a report that a man battered two people, hitting one with a cane and throwing a cellphone at the other.

One of the victims called 911 and claimed Cichowski threatened to kill them and said he would kill law enforcement if they were called, according to the sheriff’s office. Officers arrived on the scene and evacuated the two people, one of whom was bedridden. The sheriff's office did not specify the ages of two people, other than they are older than 65.

Cichowski was taken into protective custody after making suicidal statements, the sheriff’s office said.

It was not immediately clear if Cichowski had legal representation Sunday.