Another day, another stolen valor scandal—but this time, the guy in question isn’t just running his mouth on social media. Capt. Brock “Horny” Horner, a self-proclaimed “combat veteran” and “former Army Ranger,” is under fire after a heated altercation on the water went viral. But as it turns out, his military record doesn’t quite match his claims.
Horner, who runs Tarpon Coast Fishing Charters out of Port Charlotte, Florida, made headlines when a video surfaced of him aggressively confronting teen angler Gage Towles near the Barron Collier Bridge in Punta Gorda, Florida, on April 1st. The dispute started over whether Horner should have slowed down as he passed Towles’ boat in the dark. According to Horner, Towles didn’t have any lights on, making him impossible to see. But instead of calmly addressing the situation, Horner repeatedly escalated the conflict, asking Towles if he wanted to fight and eventually going as far as illegally boarding the teen’s boat.
While the video has racked up millions of views, it’s worth noting that it only captures one side of the incident and does not show what occurred before the recording started.
The internet wasted no time digging into Horner’s past, and the results aren’t doing him any favors. His now-deleted business Instagram account and website proudly claimed his status as a combat veteran. But records tell a different story.
During the altercation, Horner told Towles that he was a former Army Ranger and that all the guys on his boat were as well. However, a 2005 local news article states that Horner graduated from Port Charlotte High School in 2003 and deployed to Afghanistan as a human resources specialist in 2005 with the 173rd Airborne Brigade—far from the elite 75th Ranger Regiment he boasts about. His subsequent military service is unclear, but what is known is his extensive rap sheet, which strongly suggests he never went on to become a Ranger.
Horner’s run-ins with the law began before he even enlisted. In 2003, he was arrested at his high school for battery and again in April of that year for possessing a weapon on school grounds. His trouble with the law didn’t stop there. In 2008, he was arrested for DUI, followed by another arrest later that year for driving with a suspended license. By 2010, he racked up multiple arrests for probation violations and disorderly conduct. In 2014, another DUI. In 2016, another probation violation.
Now, with millions of views on the viral altercation video, both the Coast Guard and local law enforcement have taken notice. The Coast Guard has confirmed they are investigating the incident, while the Punta Gorda Police Department and the Florida Wildlife Commission are also looking into the matter.
Horner may have built a business off his military claims, but with the spotlight now shining on his real record, he might soon be navigating more than just the waters of Florida—like legal consequences and the wrath of the veteran community.
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