PALM COAST, Fla. – A Florida woman in an SUV is accused of chasing a 14-year-old boy riding an e-bike next to a road in Flagler County, according to the sheriff’s office.
Julia Kalthof, 65, of Palm Coast, was arrested Tuesday on charges of reckless driving and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday in a news release.
Video of the June 7 incident was recorded from the perspective of the teen on the e-bike and from a witness’ girlfriend, who was driving nearby.
The release states that a man called 911 to report a woman in an SUV was chasing the teen on a multi-use (pedestrian and bicyclist) path along Pine Lakes Parkway in Palm Coast. The 911 caller had cut off the woman’s SUV at the intersection of Pine Lakes Parkway and Woodhaven Drive to prevent the chase from continuing, the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies interviewed witnesses, learning from the 911 caller that the teen had allegedly been attempting to wave down passing cars while the SUV got as close to 6 feet behind him, officials said.
The sheriff’s office determined that Kalthof was the suspect, adding the teen victim was initially unknown because he had left the scene.
Kalthof and the teen were soon found and interviewed, the latter after his parents learned of the altercation and contacted law enforcement, the sheriff’s office said.
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Kalthof reportedly told investigators that she was angry at the boy for riding the e-bike too fast and that she wanted to find out where he lived in order to talk to his parents, the release states. The boy told deputies that Kalthof allegedly screamed at him, cut him off and nearly struck him, causing him to fear for his life, according to the release.
Kalthof was booked at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and was later released on a $3,000 bond, the sheriff’s office said.
News 6’s Molly Reed was able to speak with the boy, Gaige Ellis.
“It was really scary because I looked back at the headlights and I was like that’s not supposed to be there,” Ellis said.
The 14-year-old took video of the woman chasing him and gave it to deputies. Ellis said his electric bike was going about 20 miles per hour.
“I turned out of the community, went on the bike path. She first got on the road but at the next intersection she cut me off, turning into the sidewalk trying to hit me almost,” he said.
Ellis’ mother, Christina, said her son came home frightened and shaken up.
“If she would have followed him at a safe distance, not on the bike path, and came to the door and talked to me - we could have talked about it to avoid all of this,” she said.
Christina told News 6 she is constantly reminding Gaige the rules of the road and of biking but would have been open to talking, if he did something wrong, to correct it.
“Once he gets over the traumatic experience of it, when he starts riding again, we’ll ride with him and kind of ease him back into it,” she said.