Commuter Charged in Route 1 Snack Attack

"She was giving her the, ah, finger gesture," a Spotsylvania sheriff's spokeswoman, Sgt. Liz Enslen, said yesterday.

The Explorer driver, whose name was not released by the sheriff's office, quickly responded.

"She gave her the gesture back," Enslen said.

The Oldsmobile driver apparently followed the Explorer driver into a nearby subdivision, where Johnson allegedly threw a cup of Blizzard out of the Oldsmobile's front passenger window.

The ice cream-and-candy treat smeared parts of the Explorer, including the hood and driver's-side door, authorities said.

Enslen said she did not know the flavor of the Blizzard that Johnson tossed.

The Explorer driver wrote down the Oldsmobile's license plate number, then phoned the sheriff's office. Deputy Brian Hammond responded, took a report and contacted the owner of the Oldsmobile, who gave him Johnson's name.

"The woman who was driving the Oldsmobile said that the victim cut her off when she switched from the right lane to the left lane," Enslen said. "And that, I think, is what made them angry enough to, you know, give that gesture."

Johnson told Hammond that she threw the Blizzard and was arrested, Enslen said. She appeared before a magistrate Wednesday night and was released on $2,000 bond. Possible sentences include one to five years in prison and a $2,500 fine, authorities said.

Johnson did not respond to a message left on her home answering machine yesterday. Virginia driving records show she has paid fines for driving with an expired registration in 2001 and for speeding four times between 2000 and 2003.

The alleged victim declined a request for an interview yesterday.