A Florida Governor candidate was arrested by local law enforcement.
The Democratic candidate for Florida Governor was arrested following a domestic disturbance with a weapon that left two elderly victims battered.
According to local law enforcement, the Florida candidate made suicidal statements and was placed into protective custody under a Baker Act.
Kevin Cichowski filed to run for Governor as a Democrat in March 2026, according to the Florida Department of State.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrested the Palm Coast man, who is currently running for Governor as a Democrat and previously ran for mayor, following the domestic disturbance with a weapon in the C-Section of Palm Coast.
On the morning of April 10th, deputies responded to a residence on Cleveland Court after the Flagler County Emergency Communications Center received a report that a man had battered two elderly victims in the home, hitting one with a cane and throwing a cellphone at the other, and allegedly had a gun. The 911 caller, who was one of the victims, further reported the suspect, Kevin Cichowski, had threatened to kill them multiple times and stated he would kill law enforcement if they were called.
When deputies arrived at the residence, they located the two victims, who were hiding in a bedroom and had reported that they could not leave the home because one of the victims was bedridden. Deputies safely escorted the victims out of the home through the lanai.
After the victims were safely evacuated, deputies made contact with Cichowski and ordered him to surrender. He did and was taken into custody without incident.
Deputies arrested 46-year-old Kevin Cichowski, of Palm Coast, for two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of battery on a person over 65, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, tampering with a witness, and two counts of robbery by sudden snatching. While being transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, Cichowski made suicidal statements and was placed into protective custody under a Baker Act, according to the Sheriff’s office.
During the incident, deputies were assisted by an FCSO drone and the Real Time Crime Center, which provided tactical intelligence through cameras on the drone and their body cameras.
“When responding to a situation where a suspect has a weapon and has threatened to kill the victims and law enforcement, it’s critical that we do everything we can to safely de-escalate the situation and quickly rescue the victims from immediate danger,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “I commend our deputies, RTCC analysts, and the 911 dispatchers for working together for a safe resolution and arrest the suspect before the situation escalated to a violent ending.”
According to law enforcement, Cichowski was previously arrested in 2024 for domestic battery, domestic battery by strangulation, and false imprisonment.
