VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida sheriffs do not take kindly to being threatened, even when its from 1000’s of miles away.
Matthew Moulton, 45, of Washington, discovered that lesson final week when Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood met him on the airport and gave him a personal trip proper to the county jail.
In March, a detective with the Volusia Sheriff’s Workplace found a rambling electronic mail despatched by Moulton to Sheriff Chitwood, wherein he particulars his grievances with the sheriff.
In accordance with the affidavit, he seems to take subject with a marketing campaign Chitwood launched final 12 months, the place he posted the mugshots and ‘perp walks’ of scholars who made false college capturing threats.
Moulton accuses Chitwood of concentrating on folks’s free speech and purposefully “treating satire the identical as sincerity.”
Seemingly unable to seek out every other recourse for his issues, Moulton then threatens the sheriff’s life.
“I will must threaten you with demise,” Moulton wrote within the electronic mail. “It is coming. There’s nothing you are able to do to cease it.”
In Florida, any written risk to kill or trigger bodily hurt to somebody is a felony. So, the detective contacted Moulton’s native police division and requested that an officer go ask him some questions.
In accordance with the affidavit, Moulton admitted to the Washington officers that he did write the e-mail, however claimed it was inside his First Modification rights to take action.
A choose signed a warrant for his arrest, and Chitwood was there to do the honors when Moulton touched down.
Moulton was charged with written or digital threats to kill, a second-degree felony. His bond was set at $100,000. He is set to look in court docket on June 19.
