Kokomo firefighters were out collecting donations for the Muscular Dystrophy Association on October 8 when, police say, a driver pretended he was going to give money, then spat on them and sped off. The Kokomo Police Department says it tracked down the suspect, 66-year-old Kokomo resident Brian Nelson, and that the arrest didn't go quietly — officers say Nelson resisted and battered one of them before he was taken into custody.
According to the Kokomo Police Department, the investigation opened on October 8 after firefighters reported being spat on while collecting money near Kokomo fire stations for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Police say Nelson approached the firefighters in his vehicle as though he intended to donate, and instead spat on them and fled, according to fox59.com. Investigators later identified Nelson as the suspect and sought a warrant for his arrest.
Charity Drive Interrupted
The firefighters weren't just out collecting spare change on a whim — they were in the middle of their annual Fill the Boot campaign, a tradition the Kokomo Fire Department has kept up for 72 years, per the Kokomo Tribune. The money raised each year goes directly to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the same outlet notes, making the firefighters' presence on street corners a familiar autumn sight in the city.
A warrant was ultimately issued charging Nelson with three counts of battery by bodily waste against a public safety officer, each a Level 6 felony, the station's report states. That charge reflects the seriousness Indiana law attaches to bodily fluids directed at first responders, even when no injury results.
Traffic Stop Turns Combative
Once police located Nelson, they conducted a traffic stop in Kokomo to take him into custody. Officers allege that Nelson did not go peacefully — he resisted them and battered one of the officers during the arrest, the same account indicates. That resistance led to additional charges beyond the original spitting allegations.
Nelson was charged with additional counts of resisting law enforcement and battery against a public safety official stemming from the scuffle during his arrest, per the same report. As in any criminal case, Nelson is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
