NEW JERSEY – A 38-year-old New Jersey man has been arrested for allegedly threatening to kill a Florida County sheriff in an anonymous online death threat regarding the officer’s recent stance against a neo-Nazi hate group, according to the authorities. .
Richard Golden, of Monmouth Junction, was taken into custody at his mother’s home without incident by South Brunswick police on Monday, according to Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood. He is expected to be extradited to that county, nearly 1,000 miles from his room, to face a charge of threatening in writing to kill or harm.
Chitwood says she can’t wait to meet him when she gets off the plane.
“One of the first faces you’ll see welcoming you to Volusia County Jail, the happiest place in the world, will be me,” the sheriff said when announcing the arrest Tuesday.
Chitwood again denounced the hateful and violent rhetoric circulating in fringe groups online during this briefing. It was his response to recent hate activity in Volusia County that sparked the anonymous threat in the first place.
According to the investigation, the threat was posted in a 4chan chat on February 22. Los usuarios habían estado disutiendo la respuesta de Chitwood en la comunidad y un usuario, luego identificado como Golden, suggested to alguien: “Simplemente dispara a Chitwood en la cabeza y deja de ser un problema. Tienen que encontrar a alguien nuevo para que se el issue”.
“But shooting Chitwood in the head definitely solves an immediate problem. Just shoot Chitwood in the head and kill him,” the message continued.
The information was reported by the Central Florida Intelligence Exchange (CFIX), launching a joint investigation that ultimately identified Golden, who was living with his mother in Monmouth Junction.
Contacted by members of an FBI task force and officers from the Southern Brunswick Police Department, Golden’s mother said her son remained in his room and was always on the line, according to Chitwood. She said he did not work, rarely left the house and was hostile towards the police and the government, the sheriff added.
It’s not the first time they’ve attacked him. Nazi sympathizers and supporters of hate groups made several failed attempts to intimidate Chitwood and his family, including a failed “rattling” of the sheriff’s parents’ home and harassing one of their daughters, the sheriff’s office wrote in a Facebook post.
Golden was transported to Middlesex County Correctional Center pending extradition to Volusia County. Attorney information for him was not immediately available on Wednesday, and the date of the transport was also unclear.
Chitwood thanked law enforcement partners involved in the arrest, including the South Brunswick Police Department, FBI, CFIX, State’s Attorney RJ Larizza and the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office. , New Jersey.
South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said 974 miles isn’t too far to get caught.
“The anonymous nature of the internet can make people feel like they can say anything, but if you threaten or scare people, we’ll use all our resources to find you,” Hayducka said in his own announcement. of arrest.