ORLANDO SANFORD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Fla. (WSVN) — Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood had a tense face-to-face encounter with a New Jersey man accused of making death threats against him in an antisemitic group chat.
The accused, Richard Golden, was flown to Orlando to face charges and the sheriff wanted to meet him in person.
“I wanted him to look in my eye and say, ‘You’re the guy I wanna put a bullet in your head,'” said Chitwood.
The sheriff is known for his strong stance against hate crimes and extremism.
Golden, 38, is accused of making threats against Chitwood’s life and preaching messages of hate in a group chat.
“They’re preaching all this stuff about wiping out a race, wiping out a religion. We’re not going to stand for it,” said Chitwood.
On Monday, Golden was flown from New Jersey to Orlando to face charges, with the sheriff waiting to meet him. However, Golden passed Chitwood without a word.
“He walked right by me. I mean, how much gutless can you be?” said the sheriff.
Golden refused to answer any questions as he was escorted by officers into an unmarked car headed to Volusia County Jail on a $1000 bond.
“We are not going to let our community get attacked by these extremists,” said Chitwood.
If Golden posts bond, he would return to New Jersey until he faces the next legal step.
Chitwood made it a point to be at the airport to show he’s not backing down against those who spread hate and violence.
“If you blink, if you put your head down and say, I’ll just let it go, don’t confront this, this is a sideshow, that’s how it grows. It snowballs,” said Chitwood.
Golden is scheduled to make his first appearance in court on Tuesday, where he will face charges for his alleged threats against Chitwood.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.