A Clearwater man will serve at least 20 years in prison after he was convicted of charges that he fired a shotgun toward cars in an Oldsmar road rage incident in 2009.
Todd Christopher Naylor, 36, was found guilty of two counts of aggravated assault and one count of firing at a vehicle.
Pinellas-Pasco Assistant State Attorney Scott Rosenwasser said the minimum sentence would be 20 years in prison. Naylor will be sentenced May 31.
However, a jury this week could not reach a verdict on three other aggravated assault charges against Naylor.
At the time of the incident, Pinellas County sheriff's deputies described it as a case of road rage that escalated into a string of shootings. No one was injured, but the incidents left passing motorists terrified.
Naylor was firing at vehicles, seemingly at random, from the window of a red Ford F-150 truck. The driver was Jason Strauss, who previously received a 10-year prison sentence for his role in the crime.
On that July day, motorists going about their daily business called 911 to report being pursued by a man with a gun in a red pickup. Terrified drivers desperately tried to get away, crashing their cars or running off the road, according to reports at the time. One motorist told police that the man with the shotgun got out of the truck and pointed the gun at him before driving off.
An officer caught up with the truck and Naylor and Strauss were arrested.
Authorities said Naylor, with his friend Strauss at the wheel, aimed a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun at five people, shot out tires and peppered a car with buckshot pellets. No one was injured.
Both Strauss and Naylor already had long criminal histories at the time of their arrest.
Loading...