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Homeowner: Door-to-door salesman became aggressive
Kimberly Kuizon reports.
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has arrested 25-year-old Robert Kovacs-Strada, a door-to-door solar panel salesman for battery.
The Sheriff’s Office said on July 10 he insulted the victim, attempted to grab a walking stick she used to protect herself and shoved her to the ground, causing her to hit her head on the concrete.
What we know:
Off of Briar Oaks Circle in Sarasota County’s Colonia Oaks, Kari Nell’s peace of mind was shattered by the ring of a doorbell.
"Anger is there because you’re being violated. You are being violated. Fear is there because you don’t know what is going to happen, and then it did happen," Knell told FOX 13.
Last Thursday night, around 7 p.m., Knell got up from dinner, opened the door and came face to face with Robert Kovacs-Strada.
"He never looked me in the eye. He never identified himself. He had nothing in his hands, but his phone. I said not interested, and I shut the door," she said.
Knell would later find out he was a door-to-door solar panel salesman.
Before that happened, Knell said Kovacs-Strada continued to harass her family.
She said he knocked and rang their doorbell repeatedly.
She opened the door a final time with her wife by her side and holding a walking stick to give her distance.
The couple told Kovacs-Strada they were going to call the police.
"I said just keep going. He said what are you going to do with that stick. I said, just keep going, get off my property," said Knell.
Things continued to escalate.
Dig deeper:
"Cursing at me, cursing at my wife and shouting homophobic slurs and threatening me. Then he grabbed me and assaulted me," she said.
Knell said she was thrown to the ground and hit her head on the pavement.
"He could have walked away and not been aggressive with me," she said.
Sarasota County Deputies arrested the salesman for battery.
Lieutenant Kyle Pfender said you should keep a distance between yourself and anyone unknown at your door.
What they're saying:
"The biggest thing we can tell you, anybody. If you hear a knock at your door. Use your peephole, look out through a window, don’t just open your door and make contact with these people. Ring doorbells, any type, is great because it will stop that physical contact and keep you in a safer position. If something does happen, we can go back and get footage and use that for the investigation and prosecution," said Lt. Pfender.
Knell later found out Kovacs-Strada had been shot at last May in Charlotte County while attempting solar sales.
Charlotte County deputies arrested the homeowner for shooting at Kovacs-Strada and a co-worker.
They told deputies the man’s wife was upset when the salespeople knocked on their door, and she told them to leave.
Knell said a number of other neighbors encountered his unwillingness to take no for an answer.
"You’ve got no business treating anyone like that at the door. At their door," said Knell.
What's next:
Kovacs-Strada has bonded out of jail.
He faces battery charges.
He will be back in court on August 5 for an arraignment.
The Source: Information was gathered from the alleged victim, Kari Knell, an arrest affidavit from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and a past report from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.