GROVELAND, Fla. – Groveland City Council candidate James O’Neil is facing criminal charges and a civil lawsuit after allegedly attacking a man he thought was speeding through a neighborhood.

According to a Groveland police report, O’Neil spotted Michael Trentadue driving at what he believed was a high rate of speed and decided to follow him. A confrontation followed, during which O’Neil told officers he “pushed” Trentadue and accidentally headbutted him.

Police described O’Neil’s claim of an accidental headbutt as “unlikely,” citing the height difference between the two men.

O’Neil, a 69-year-old retired Navy veteran, had recently won just over 50 percent of the votes in the primary election for Groveland City Council . He now faces charges of aggravated battery and false imprisonm

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