A Rhode Island man has been sentenced to time in jail as the result of a road rage incident involving a Tesla in 2024 on Interstate 75 in Sumter County.
Kris Gadoury, 33, of Conventry, R.I., was sentenced to six months in jail, placed on probation for 30 months and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service after pleading no contest this past week in Sumter County Court to a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Gadoury had been at the wheel of a white Ford F-250 with an attached trailer on the afternoon of May 4, 2024 when he instigated a road rage incident with the driver of white Tesla with Georgia license plates on I-75 near Oxford, according to an arrest report from the Florida Highway Patrol.
Gadoury was driving in an “aggressive manner” while a male passenger was throwing objects out the truck’s window at the occupants of the Tesla. At least one of the objects struck the Tesla driver in the arm.
When the Tesla tried to pass Gadoury’s truck he swerved in front of the Tesla “multiple times across all lanes of travel” with disregard for public safety. At one point, the front right end of the truck “intentionally” struck the right side of the Tesla.
Gadoury and his passenger tried to blame the Tesla driver when they were interviewed by the FHP. The Tesla driver had dash cam footage to back up his version of the story. Gadoury’s passenger, unhappy with the FHP trooper’s conclusions during the investigation, threatened to show up at the trooper’s home and cause him bodily harm. The passenger was also arrested.