Update April 24th: A 3rd man from Connecticut, Cristhian Zapata, was also arrested for making threats to kill Volusia County Florida Sheriff Michael Chitwood on 4chan; more here.
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A South Brunswick, NJ man was arrested and charged Monday with making threats against a Florida sheriff who has bene targeted by an antisemitic group.
Richard Golden, 38, of the Monmouth Junction section of South Brunswick made a threat in a 4Chan chat room in February against Volusia County Sheriff Michael Chitwood, officials said.
Golden was arrested 1 p.m. Monday at the Tanglewood Court home where he lives with his parents. His electronics were seized, according to South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond J. Hayducka.
The threat was made in response to a February news conference in which Chitwood described the hate group Goyim Defense League (GDL) as "cowardly scumbags." The sheriff said members of the GDL put antisemitic fliers on the property of Jewish homeowners and hung banners from pedestrian bridges during the Daytona 500 race.
"Just shoot Chitwood in the head he stops beng a problem. They have to find a new guy to be the new problem. But shooting Chitwood in the head solves the problem immediately. Just shoot Chitwood in the head. Murder him," Chitwood saiid Golden wrote in the chat.
The Central Florida Intelligence Exchange picked up on the threat and began tracking its origin back to New Jersey. South Brunswick police went to Golden's home March 1 and found him to be anti-government and anti-law enforcement.
"Like every other active shooter that we come across he's a marginalized member of society who spends hours and hours in these extremist chat rooms," Chitwood said. "Here's a clown sitting in his bedroom who's indoctrinated by this bulls**t who thinks the best way to solve the problem is to put a bullet in my head."
In the same chat, Golden called Chitwood a cross-dresser who visits small children. GDL's fliers called Chitwood a "cross dressing sheriff" and included pictures of him wearing a bra.
But Chitwood, who annually appears in the outrageous garb for charity, hit back. "Hey losers, here are a few more photos you can use," Chitwood posted on his Twitter account.
Chitwood said he is looking forward to meeting Golden when he arrives in the Central Florida county not far from Disney World. "One of the first faces he's gonna see welcoming him to Volusia County and the Volusia County Jail, the happiest place on Earth," Chitwood said.
Golden is charged with threat of serious bodily injury or death. He was held at the Middlesex County Correction Center on a fugitive from justice warrant charge pending extradition to Florida.
Hayducka credited the cooperation between all the law enforcement agencies involved in tracking down the threats to Chitwood.
“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,” Hayducka said. "Yesterday showed that being 974 miles away from the Volusia Sheriff’s Office was no distance too great for the teamwork of law enforcement."