He was ‘drinking’ and watching a show about Florida cops. Then came the death threats
A Pennsylvania man was taken into custody Wednesday night, accused of making written threats to a Florida cop after seeing him on a reality show.
According to a Facebook post from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, the 51-year-old was taken into custody by state police in Jonestown, about an hour northwest of Philadelphia.
A state trooper made contact with the suspect after reps from “On Patrol: Live,” which follows various law enforcement agencies around the country on ride-alongs, notified authorities about alarming messages they received Sunday on social media following an episode.
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The Facebook Messenger posts sent to the Reelz series included: “I am not scared of killing anyone” and “Some of your officers are worthy of death.” One particularly disturbing message was directed at a officer who had just been featured.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office reports that the suspect admitted he sent the messages while “drinking,” and that no one else uses his phone or his Facebook account.
He was charged with written threats to kill, a second-degree felony, and held on $100,000 bail awaiting extradition to Volusia County, the sheriff’s office said.
Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood plans to meet him alongside the deputy who was targeted before transport to the Volusia County Branch Jail, the post said.
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This story was originally published September 29, 2023 at 11:07 AM.
