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Others report driver's rage

Tampa residents say the driver who confronted a woman because of a sticker has also accosted them.

By SHANNON COLAVECCHIO-VAN SICKLER
Published March 11, 2005

TAMPA - Michelle Fernandez might not be the only motorist victimized by Nathan Alan Winkler, the 31-year-old contractor arrested Tuesday in what police described as a case of political road rage.

Tampa police spokesman Joe Durkin said the department got a few calls from residents who recognized Winkler's picture in the newspaper and on the news. They called to say Winkler got aggressive with them on the road, too.

Winkler was charged with aggravated battery Tuesday after a confrontation with Fernandez, a mother of two who is registered as a Democrat but supports President Bush.

She was driving through south and west Tampa during rush hour in her Ford Expedition, a "Bush-Cheney '04" sticker on the back.

Police say Winkler started honking at Fernandez and veering into her lane as he held up an anti-war sign that read: "Never Forget Bush's Illegal Oil War Murdered Thousands in Iraq."

Fernandez stayed on her cell phone for nine minutes with a 911 dispatcher as Winkler pursued her, according to police. She drove to a busy ballfield for safety and gave police the tag number on Winkler's black Nissan. Officers arrested Winkler at his home near Hyde Park within an hour.

Winkler, who has no criminal history in Florida, posted $2,000 bail and left jail early Wednesday. But now detectives are looking into whether he might have been responsible for the aggressive behavior reported Thursday.

[Last modified March 11, 2005, 01:22:10]