Crime New Jersey man arrested for threatening Volusia sheriff on 4chan, Sheriff’s Office says

A man from New Jersey was arrested on Monday for threatening to kill Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood, authorities said.

Richard Golden, 38, faces extradition to Volusia County and a felony charge for written threat to kill or cause injury, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Golden’s threat, posted on a 4chan on Feb. 22, regarded Chitwood’s stance against an upswing antisemitic activities in Volusia County.

The threat read: “Just shoot Chitwood in the head and he stops being a problem. They have to find a new guy to be the problem...But shooting Chitwood in the head solves an immediate problem permanently. Just shoot Chitwood in the head and murder him.”

The Central Florida Intelligence Exchange flagged the threat and launched a joint investigation.

South Brunswick Police Department officers arrested Golden Monday afternoon. According to the arrest report, Golden told detectives that he did not intend to act on the threat he made.

Golden is being held at the Middlesex County Corrections Center, pending extradition to Volusia County.

In a statement, South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said “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.”

Chitwood has been publicly denouncing hate-speech and hate groups following a stunt last month over International Speedway Boulevard, where white supremacists where recorded holding up antisemitic signs in an attempt to harass Jewish people.

The following day, antisemitic messages and flyers were spread throughout Volusia County. The Sheriff’s family was also targeted by hate groups.

“I cannot wait to meet [Golden] when he gets off the plane,” Chitwood 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.”

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/new...0230315-asfambaezrebtlkvfhnssp4lr4-story.html (Archive)
The post in question

 

[Toolbox]

Saying you're going to shoot the sheriff (but not the deputy)

He actually didn't though. He's very much suggesting it but not saying he's going to do it. It was stupid for him to do so but the fact you can actually get arrested for it is insane. He didn't give any indication of following through or that he was saying he'd do it himself at all.

 

[Synthetic Smug]

I wonder if you would get busted for making really absurd or silly threats like 'I'm going to track you down and arrange dollar store army men in lifelike battle positions on the sidewalk in front of your house. Expect me. I'll be wearing a tutu.'

 

[Toolbox]

I wonder if you would get busted for making really absurd or silly threats like 'I'm going to track you down and arrange dollar store army men in lifelike battle positions on the sidewalk in front of your house. Expect me. I'll be wearing a tutu.'

It only seems to matter if you're threating a politician that's useful to the main narratives. I'd doubt you'd get got by making it that absurd. Not yet.

 

[Matt Damon]

It was stupid for him to do so but the fact you can actually get arrested for it is insane.

You can get arrested for an awful lot of bullshit that isn't actually criminal. Being convicted of a crime is a whole other thing.

 

[Toolbox]

You can get arrested for an awful lot of bullshit that isn't actually criminal. Being convicted of a crime is a whole other thing.

The process is the punishment.

 

[Xarpho's Return]

Sounds like some unhinged psycho on the internet might actually shoot the sheriff, and the deputy.

Unhinged psycho? He's a neckbeard who lives in New Jersey with his mother and added the "in Minecraft" which the feds are probably well aware of by now given that the meme has been floating around for the last few years, TPTB still gave the green light to arrest him and haul him out of the state.

If the FBI's precrime division wasn't in the pockets of their valuable clients, we could've prevented every mass shooting in the last decade.

 

[Accidental Racism]

Something something "I don't know who's jewing who anymore"

 

[Mothra1988]

He actually didn't though. He's very much suggesting it but not saying he's going to do it. It was stupid for him to do so but the fact you can actually get arrested for it is insane. He didn't give any indication of following through or that he was saying he'd do it himself at all.

I'm pretty sure telling others to do murder is also illegal.

 

[Claude Sigma]

felony charge for written threat to kill or cause injury

“Just shoot Chitwood in the head and he stops being a problem. They have to find a new guy to be the problem...But shooting Chitwood in the head solves an immediate problem permanently. Just shoot Chitwood in the head and murder him.”

I'm no legal expert, but by the common understanding of the sentence, this does not constitute a threat, much less a credible threat. He did not even call for a crime to be committed directly per se.
I would like to know how all this ends. I wonder if it's not merely a way to harass him and cause him trouble even though he will actually be deemed not guilty.

 

[Breadbassket]

If you want more information on the leadup to this, here is a thread on a press conference Chitwood had a few days ago.

He's a very fascinating man:


Would you buy the Volusia County Sheriff merchandise:

 

[Troonos]

Where's the threat? There's a difference between "this should happen" and "I'm going to do this".

 

[TV's Adam West]

We did it.... We finally found out who 4chan is.

 

[UtadaWasabi2]

I thought America is the only country that you can talk shit to government official without repurcussion.

 

[Breadbassket]

I wonder if you would get busted for making really absurd or silly threats like 'I'm going to track you down and arrange dollar store army men in lifelike battle positions on the sidewalk in front of your house. Expect me. I'll be wearing a tutu.'

If that became a thing and it got popular enough expect some people to start calling such acts a dogwhistle for death threats despite how absurd that may sound.

 

[Mothra1988]

Where's the threat? There's a difference between "this should happen" and "I'm going to do this".

He's using textbook incitement. Why do you think it has to be in first person to be illegal? Jesus, I learned this in school.

Criminal incitement refers to conduct, words, or other means that urge or naturally lead others to riot, violence, or insurrection. Many states and the federal government have enacted laws prohibiting inciting riots, violence, or insurrection, whether by those names or under laws prohibiting disorderly conduct, public disorder, mobs, or breach of peace.

 

[Otterly]

He's using textbook incitement. Why do you think it has to be in first person to be illegal? Jesus, I learned this in school.

That’s vague though. What’s deemed likely to? Is this why they want this idea of stochastic terrorism to gain ground? So that they can nab anyone for anything like they do here
For example somebody could say something like ‘the examplecountry government are behaving like tyrants and historically that’s lead to the populace responding with violence and slaughtering them .’ That’s a statement of fact. Or ‘exampleofficial is behaving like a monster, someone’s going to get angry and shoot this guy.’ That’s an opinion. Or ‘I really hope a certain WEF official gets hit by a meteor.’
Are those incitement? Clearly ‘I’m going to go and meet exampleofficial at his office and shoot him’ is a threat but where’s the line? I thought it had to be a clear statement expressing actionable intent or instructions telling to others to do so?
Be careful here, America, or you’ll end up like us with hate speech and malicious comms acts that can prosecute anyone for anything deemed offensive by anyone

 

[notafederalagent]

The process is the punishment.

As the saying goes, "you can beat the rap, but you can't beat the ride."

Unhinged psycho? He's a neckbeard who lives in New Jersey with his mother

I wasn't talking about him. There are thousands of disaffected, mentally ill people pumped full of antidepressants out there, sitting on 4chan all day.

and added the "in Minecraft" which the feds are probably well aware of by now

I've seen this explained by an FBI agent in an affidavit before. In minecraft, blockland, etc... would probably be as effective as talking about drugs in code on the telephone (which is to say, it's useless).

edit: Just to be clear, it's foolish to make a threat anywhere, whether online or in meatspace. If you plan on doing something, do it, don't fuck around and posture or try to talk tough.

 

[Troonos]

He's using textbook incitement. Why do you think it has to be in first person to be illegal? Jesus, I learned this in school.

There's such thing as legal standards, retard. Criminal incitement has two prongs: only the first covers the actual words being spoken, and the second is "likely to incite or produce such an action". They would have to demonstrate that there was an imminent risk of someone actually being incited to violence by his words. If it doesn't pass muster on both counts, the charges aren't going to stick.

 

[Lady Rackets Ass]

They would have to demonstrate that there was an imminent risk of someone actually being incited to violence by his words. If it doesn't pass muster on both counts, the charges aren't going to stick.

Beat me to it.
Brandenburg v Ohio is the case that established it.

 

[Mothra1988]

There's such thing as legal standards, retard. Criminal incitement has two prongs: only the first covers the actual words being spoken, and the second is "likely to incite or produce such an action". They would have to demonstrate that there was an imminent risk of someone actually being incited to violence by his words. If it doesn't pass muster on both counts, the charges aren't going to stick.

Too bad /pol/acks already flushed that down the toilet by allowing real mass shooters on your board. How many were there in 2022? Was it 2, 3 or 4? I lost count. This mad hairy fat loser is going to big boy prison to suck dicks guaranteed.