Alleged double-murderer indicted for making death threats against Sheriff Mike Chitwood
An Alaska man already under indictment for two counts of murder was indicted Tuesday for posting threats to “blind and kill” Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood, according to a social media post by the sheriff's office.
Joshua Wahl, 31, of Dillingham, Alaska, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of cyberstalking and four counts of transmitting threats in interstate commerce.
According to a U.S. Justice Department press release, the threats started after Chitwood held a news conference denouncing individuals who distributed antisemitic and pro-Nazi messages. Investigators discovered an online persona linked to Wahl that posted antisemitic and anti-law enforcement content.
That brings to six the total number of men who have threatened to kill the sheriff over his stand against neo-Nazis and antisemitism.
Who are the men threatening Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood and where are they now?
More: Canadian police arrest man for emailing death threats to Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood
The defendant’s first alleged threat was sent to Chitwood on March 31, 2023, via email. In the email, the defendant stated he was armed with lasers and explosives and included links to videos showing someone using a laser to burn a hole through a photograph of Chitwood’s face and holding explosives in front of another photograph of Chitwood.
The threats continued with the defendant allegedly posting threats against Chitwood to the online platform 4chan in April 2023. The posts included direct threats to kill or harm Chitwood.
The defendant, if convicted, faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each count. The FBI Anchorage Field Office is investigating the case.
Wahl was arrested in August on separate charges of first- and second-degree murder in state court after two people were found shot to death inside an apartment, according to the Anchorage Daily News. The murder charges are tied to the deaths of 32-year-old Jennifer Gardiner and 31-year-old Timothy Evans.
“Not every loser threatening violence on the internet gets caught, but I’m glad one more is getting a dose of reality,” Chitwood said in response to the indictment. “I am far from the only one getting death threats, and my family is not the only one who’s been targeted and harassed. But I will always be proud to take on hateful idiots and stand up in defense of the community I love.'
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Alleged murderer indicted for death threats against Sheriff Chitwood
