A retired NYPD officer living in Florida was arrested Monday on felony charges after allegedly posting a threat to behead a Pinellas County commissioner who voted to approve the expansion of a local mosque.
Rodolfo Mienert, 68, of St. Petersburg, was taken into custody by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. The arrest stems from a Facebook comment made under the username "Rudy MineAllmine" on a post criticizing Pinellas County Commissioner Brian Scott for supporting a land-use change allowing the North Pinellas mosque to expand. According to an affidavit, Mienert referred to Scott as a "Republican turncoat" before writing, "off with his head!"
Mienert told detectives that he is "very vocal and not afraid to share his opinion" on political matters and that he called Scott a "turncoat" because of his vote. He also stated he had attended an Oct. 27 county commission meeting where the mosque issue was discussed, expressing concerns that the expansion would negatively impact the environment and worsen traffic.
The sheriff's office traced the IP address associated with the Facebook account to Mienert, who confirmed it was his. The account's profile picture featured Bugs Bunny with a revolver, and its bio stated, "...if I pissed off a libtard today, I'm happy!! no further reply!!"
Mienert faces one felony count of a written or electronic threat to kill, an offense that carries a maximum of 15 years in prison in Florida. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri stated, "Threatening to cut off the head of a county commissioner because of his vote on a land issue is intolerable and we will strictly enforce the law against anyone who makes threats of this nature."
Mienert, who retired as a sergeant after 22 years with the New York Police Department, was held in the Pinellas County Jail. He was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon.