Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood made good on his promise to personally welcome the New Jersey man who allegedly threatened to kill him because he stood up to antisemites.
The Florida lawman was standing at the foot of the escalator as just-extradited Richard Golden, 38, arrived at the airport.
“Hope you enjoy your stay. Welcome to Florida,” Chitwood told Golden as officers led him away.
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Golden was rousted earlier this month from the Monmouth Junction home where he lived with his mother after investigators traced comments on 4Chan to his computer.
“Just shoot Chitwood in the head and he stops being a problem. They have to find a new guy to be the new problem,” Golden allegedly wrote. “But shooting Chitwood in the head solves the immediate problem permanently. Just shoot Chitwood in the head—murder him.”
At the time of Golden’s arrest, Chitwood said, “I cannot wait to meet him when he gets off the plane.”
On Monday, the sheriff explained why that was important to him.
“I wanted him to look in my eye and say, ‘You’re the guy I wanna put a bullet in your head,’” Chitwood said.
“Be a man. He came down the escalator—he could have said something. He didn’t say a word.”
Chitwood mocked Golden as a “keyboard commando” and snarked, “That’s who we need to be afraid of”—apparently referring to the suspect’s schlumpy appearance.
The sheriff says he has become a target in extremist chatrooms because of his public condemnation of pathetic neo-Nazis who have set up shop in his county.
He said that authorities are still investigating a handful of other threats by “nutballs.” Meanwhile, he is selling T-shirts with slogan “Scumbag Eradication Team” and pacifiers emblazoned with “Mike Chitwood Hurt My Feelings.”
