Overview
- Pinellas County deputies arrested 68-year-old Rodolfo Mienert on Monday after a Facebook comment said “off with his head” in response to Commissioner Brian Scott’s vote to approve a mosque expansion.
- Detectives traced the IP address for the threatening comment to Mienert’s account, contacted him at home, and say he confirmed ownership of the account.
- Mienert was booked on one felony count of a written or electronic threat to kill, a Florida offense that carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, and he remains in the county jail awaiting a court appearance.
- Investigators say the post grew from local anger over the commission vote and a recent Oct. 27 meeting where a woman in Islamic dress was escorted out, and Mienert told police he had called Scott a “turncoat” over the mosque expansion.
- Sheriff Bob Gualtieri condemned the threat and framed the arrest as strict enforcement against violent online threats to public officials, underscoring how social media posts can prompt criminal investigations and potential prosecution.