Man Sentenced to 1 Year for Death Threats Against Chitwood

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Richard Golden, the man charged with online threats to kill Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood, has been sentenced to a year in prison for his crimes. Golden was one of a series of people charged with making such statements after Chitwood spoke out against local acts of anti-Semitism. Golden was said to have posted the threats on the online forum 4chan. “Just shoot Chitwood in the head and he stops being a problem.” At the time Chitwood was the public face of a community pushback against increased white supremacist activity. In his sentence Golden, a 39-year-old New Jersey resident, was credited with 29 days served out of a 366-day sentence. Judge Karen Foxman explained to Golden the harm of posting threats to kill, which Golden to an extent seemed to acknowledge. He claimed he did not take concrete steps to carry out his statement, and that he was not a member of the Goyim Defense League, the white supremacist group Chitwood initially attacked. Sheriff Chitwood made the news when Golden was extradited from New Jersey to Volusia County by greeting him as he stepped off the plane. Golden didn’t speak to Chitwood at the time of that exchange.