A New Jersey man who made an anonymous online threat to kill a sheriff in Florida has been arrested.
According to investigators, the threat was directed at Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood due to the sheriff’s recent stand against a neo-Nazi hate group.
The man was arrested at his mother’s house Monday and faces extradition to Volusia County to face his felony charge.
In the news: Suspected Terrorist Caught At The US-Canadian Border Amid Illegal Migration Surge
In a Tuesday news conference, Sheriff Chitwood announced Monday’s arrest of 38-year-old Richard Golden of Monmouth Junction, NJ, again denouncing the hateful and violent rhetoric circulating online among fringe members of society.
“I cannot wait to meet him when he gets off the plane,” the sheriff said, “because one of the first faces he’s going to see welcoming him to the Volusia County Jail, the happiest place on earth, is going to be me.”
Golden, charged with making a written threat to kill or cause injury, posted the threat in a 4chan chat on Feb. 22. Various users were discussing Sheriff Chitwood’s response to recent hate activity in Volusia County.
One anonymous user (later identified as Golden) stated: “Just shoot Chitwood in the head and he stops being a problem. They have to find a new guy to be the problem.” He added: “But shooting Chitwood in the head solves an immediate problem permanently. Just shoot Chitwood in the head and murder him.”
The information was flagged by the Central Florida Intelligence Exchange (CFIX), launching a joint investigation that ultimately identified Golden, living in his mother’s home in Monmouth Junction, NJ.
In the news: FBI Searching For Victims Of Retired Michigan School Teacher Who Molested Mentally Disabled Child On Plane
When contacted by members of an FBI task force and South Brunswick Police Department officers, Golden’s mother indicated her son stays in his room and is always on the Internet. She said he doesn’t work, rarely leaves the house, and is hostile toward law enforcement and the government.
Golden was arrested without incident Monday afternoon by South Brunswick police.
Sheriff Chitwood thanked the law enforcement partners involved in making the arrest, including South Brunswick PD, the FBI and task force members, CFIX, State Attorney R.J. Larizza and the Middlesex County, NJ, Prosecutors Office.
“The anonymous nature of the internet may make people feel they can say anything, but if you make threats or put people in fear we will use all our resources to track you down,” South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said in his own announcement of the arrest. “Yesterday showed that being 974 miles away from the Volusia Sheriff’s Office was no distance too great for the teamwork of law enforcement.”
In the news: Deputies Arrest Nursing Home Employees For Battery On 2 Elderly Residents
Golden was transported to the Middlesex County Corrections Center to be held pending extradition to Volusia County.
“Nazi sympathizers and hate group supporters have made several unsuccessful attempts at intimidating Sheriff Chitwood and his family, including a failed “swatting” of the sheriff’s parents’ home (making a false 911 call threatening violence in an attempt to provoke a police response) and harassing one of his daughters,” said VSO.
Sheriff Chitwood also took the opportunity Tuesday to display new “Scumbag Eradication Team” T-shirts and “Volusia Strong” coffee mugs that are on sale in response to the recent incidents of hate.
All proceeds will benefit a new Volusia Sheriff’s Youth Foundation program to push back against hate and educate youth about history, including through Foundation-sponsored trips to the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg.
The sheriff has already identified candidates for the program: Recently, several students at a Volusia County high school were caught defacing school property with swasitkas. The students claimed they knew the symbols were offensive but didn’t have a full understanding of what they meant.
Anyone who wants to order a T-shirt ($25) or mug ($15) can click here* or email info@vsyf.org.
Android Users, Click Here To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook Here Or Twitter Here. Signup for our free newsletter by clicking here. We can’t do this without your help; visit our GiveSendGo page and donate any dollar amount; every penny helps.