(Marion County, FL) On Friday, January 23, 2026, jurors rendered a guilty verdict in the courtroom of Judge Peter M. Brigham during the trial of 58-year-old Scott Alan Chamness. Chamness was found guilty as charged for the offenses of Burglary of a Conveyance with an Assault and Battery on a Person 65 Years of Age or Older.

Chamness was remanded into custody to await his sentencing pending a pre-sentence investigation.

On August 17, 2024, the Dunnellon Police Department responded to a reported road rage incident at the Murphy Oil gas station located off North Williams Street in Dunnellon, Florida.

According to the elderly victim, the incident began at a nearby traffic light when the victim honked their vehicle horn after another driver failed to proceed on a green light. When the victim turned into the Murphy Oil gas station and stopped at a fuel pump, the driver, later identified as Chamness, followed.

Store surveillance footage showed Chamness pull directly behind the victim’s vehicle before exiting his vehicle and aggressively approaching the victim’s driver’s side door. Chamness then opened the door, physically grabbed the victim, and began yelling at the victim regarding the horn.

As the confrontation escalated and the victim was unable to free themself, the victim attempted to reach for their firearm. In response, Chamness climbed on top of the victim, who remained inside the vehicle, and began choking the victim.

The attack ended only after Chamness’s passenger and a bystander intervened. Chamness then returned to his vehicle and fled the scene before law enforcement arrived. A license plate number was obtained for the vehicle Chamness was driving. Law enforcement tracked down the defendant shortly after, where he was arrested and charged.

Assistant State Attorney James Moody successfully prosecuted this case.

Published on 01/26/2026.