(Update) Arrested: Third neo-Nazi extremist / anti-Semitic sympathizer who made death threats against Florida sheriff
<L> Sheriff Mike Chitwood holding up Richard Golden mugshot photo; <R>Tyler Meyer mugshot; Image credits: VSO
(Updated May 5, 2023) Cristhian Zapata, 23, of Shelton, Connecticut, has officially landed in Daytona Beach. Zapata made one of the many online threats to kill Sheriff Mike Chitwood for speaking out against extremist hate groups.
On April 7, Zapata posted on 4chan: “I WILL KILL CHITWOOD, MARK MY WORDS,” which earned him a felony charge, extradition to Volusia County and a trip to the Volusia County Branch Jail.
Ace News Today’s original article from April 21 appears below in it’s entirety.
(April 21, 2023) U.S. nationalist extremists dealing in hate propaganda campaigns and harassment of Jewish people in Florida has been on the rise in recent months. Vowing to hunt down and hold those extremists accountable, Volusia Sheriff’s Office (VSO) Mike Chitwood has come under attack by some of them threatening to kill him for his stance against hate crimes – and those who perpetuate those crimes.
Recent arrests for death threats made against the Sheriff include Richard Golden in South Brunswick, New Jersey, and Tyler Meyer in San Diego, California, who were each charged on felony warrants of “Making A Written Threat to Kill,” a charge which carries a $100,000 bond. Both Golden and Meyer were similarly described as young men who had limited social activity and spent the majority of their time participating in extremist, neo-Nazi and/or white supremacist forums on the Internet.
The most recent arrest of a man posting an online death threat against Sheriff Mike Chitwood was reported yesterday, when the Volusia Sheriff’s Office shared that 23-year-old Cristhian Zapata was taken into custody in his home state of Connecticut and who is currently awaiting pending extradition to Florida.
On April 7, Zapata posted to 4Chan, “I WILL KILL CHITWOOD, MARK MY WORDS,” a post that was flagged by the Central Florida Intelligence Exchange for further investigation.
The investigation involving Zapata traced the origin of his post to a residence in Ansonia, Connecticut, where it was determined Zapata had been living in his sister’s apartment, along with her fiancé and child. Zapata’s sister told Ansonia police detectives her brother was always on his computer, often participating in extremist chat rooms and “talking to unknown people about conspiracy theories and white supremacist ideology,” according to the police report.
The sister also indicated her brother was fascinated with Adolf Hitler.
When police made contact with Zapata, he admitted to posting the threat to kill Chitwood. He indicated he’d heard about recent events in Florida, including other online threats to kill the sheriff, and said he was surprised that others had been arrested, because he believes in the First Amendment. He identified himself as a nationalist.
Zapata was arrested Wednesday evening by the Shelton Police Department on a felony warrant for making a written threat to kill, which carries the same $100,000 bond as his two neo-Nazi contemporaries from New Jersey and California.
Check out the video below to see Sheriff Mike Chitwood deliver a strong message to the people responsible for recent antisemitic acts across Volusia County.
(Sources and Cristhian Zapata arrest photo and mugshot: Volusia Sheriff’s Office)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram
