SARASOTA - A judge refused Monday to lower the $500,000 bail set for a man accused of driving at U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris with his car last Tuesday as she campaigned on a downtown street corner.
Circuit Judge Andrew Owens said he was troubled by the accusations against Barry Seltzer, a 46-year-old Sarasota real estate investor. On Wednesday, the day he was arrested, Seltzer told police he drove his silver Cadillac onto the sidewalk and toward the group in a "political expression." He swerved away at the last moment.
"What really troubles the court is that this type of behavior destroys the very foundation of the country: the political process," Owens said. "We resolve political issues through the ballot box, not through violence or intimidation."
Seltzer's father, Rueben, told Owens his son had never threatened anybody and should have his bail reduced to $20,000. And Seltzer's attorneys, David Haenel and Darren Finebloom, contended he did not even know Harris was in the group displaying signs and waving at motorists at Fruitville Road and N Washington Boulevard. The judge was unmoved. Seltzer, a registered Democrat, is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison on the third-degree felony charge.
Finebloom said later he was disappointed with Owens' refusal to lower bail.
Harris' press secretary, Jessica Furst, said Monday the Sarasota Republican wants to leave Seltzer's case to the justice system and focus on her campaign. Furst said Harris appreciates the kind words she received from constituents after the incident.
-- The Bradenton Herald contributed to this report.
