How do you celebrate your dad's Senate victory? By getting pepper sprayed & arrested

**Terminator** · 11-08-06, 07:19 PM

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The 30-year-old son of U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson was arrested and pepper-sprayed early Wednesday after allegedly pushing an officer just hours after taking the stage at his father's re-election party.

Charles William Nelson was taken into custody about 2:40 a.m. in downtown Orlando and charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, disorderly intoxication and resisting an arrest without violence.

Officers responding to an alleged brawl near the hotel that hosted the senator's victory party discovered the younger Nelson with a woman slumped on the ground next to him, apparently passed out. According to a police report, an officer noted the man smelled strongly of alcohol, slurred his speech and had poor balance, and he called paramedics to ensure the woman was OK.

The report quoted the younger Nelson as saying the woman was fine. It did not say what their relationship was.

Police say Nelson tried to pick her up and drag her away, dropping her when the officer instructed him to put her down. The report said the senator's son attempted to push the officer away, then was pepper-sprayed for two to three seconds and handcuffed.

A police spokeswoman did not immediately return a call Wednesday seeking additional details. A spokesman for the senator, Dan McLaughlin, said Nelson was released from custody.

Nelson lives in Washington and is a Medicaid/Medicare consultant. The senator, a Democrat, issued a statement saying he and his wife didn't know all the facts but "love our son and support him."

In Tuesday's election, the elder Nelson handily rebuffed a challenge from Republican Rep. Katherine Harris, who played a key role in the 2000 presidential election as Florida's secretary of state.