Retired NYPD officer arrested over beheading threat to politician

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 4 Nov, 18:58 · Archive

A retired NYPD officer in Florida was arrested after allegedly posting a call for beheading a county commissioner who voted to approve a mosque expansion.

Rodolfo Mienert, 68, a retired NYPD officer living in St. Petersburg, Florida, was arrested on Monday after authorities say he made a Facebook post calling for the beheading of Pinellas County Commissioner Brian Scott. The commissioner had recently voted to approve a land-use change allowing the North Pinellas mosque to expand.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Mienert commented on a Facebook post criticising Scott, calling him a 'Republican turncoat' before writing 'off with his head!' The account, which used the username 'Rudy MineAllmine', also posted a Scott campaign video with the message 'DO NOT vote for this person, he voted FOR a mosque.' Detectives traced the account's IP address to Mienert, who confirmed the account was his when confronted by police.

Mienert told detectives he is 'very vocal and not afraid to share his opinion' on political issues. He reiterated that he considered Scott a 'turncoat' for supporting the mosque expansion. Mienert had attended an October 27 County Commission meeting where the mosque issue was discussed and expressed concerns that the expansion would damage the environment and worsen traffic.

Mienert was charged with a felony count of written or electronic threat to kill. The New York Post reports this charge carries a possible prison sentence of up to 15 years. Mienert spent 22 years with the NYPD before retiring and moving to Florida.

How it is being reported

• Retired NYPD cop allegedly threatened to behead Fla. pol over mosque support: ‘Off with his head’A retired NYPD cop living in Florida allegedly threatened to behead a local politician in a deranged social media rant, landing him behind bars and facing a possible decade-long prison sentence. Rodolo Mienert, 68, was allegedly linked to a Facebook comment violently railing against Pinellas County’s Republican Commissioner Brian Scott and his recent approval of...New York Post · 4 Nov, 18:37
• Retired NYPD officer arrested after 'off with his head' post over Florida mosque expansionRetired NYPD officer Rodolfo Mienert allegedly posted "off with his head!" on Facebook targeting a Pinellas County commissioner over a mosque vote.Fox News · 3 Nov, 19:29

In this story: Rodolfo Mienert · Brian Scott · Pinellas County · St. Petersburg · Florida · North Pinellas mosque

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