Man who threatened Volusia Sheriff Chitwood sentenced to probation, must pay extradition

A Connecticut man was sentenced Friday to three years' probation for threatening the life of Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood. He must also write a letter of apology to the sheriff.

In addition to the 36 months of probation, Cristian Zapata, 24, of Ansonia, Connecticut, was ordered to stay away from neo-Nazi or white supremacy websites. Zapata's sister had told investigators he had a fascination with Adolf Hitler.

Circuit Judge Randell Rowe III also ordered Zapata to pay the $2,544.99 cost of extraditing him from Connecticut to Volusia County.

Rowe withheld adjudication, meaning if Zapata successfully completes probation he will not have a conviction on his record.

The judge also ordered that Zapata undergo a mental health evaluation within 60 days and treatment if needed; attend and complete cognitive behavior therapy; and not possess any weapons, firearms or ammunition.

Zapata must write the letter of apology to Chitwood and turn it in to the probation office for approval within 30 days, the judge ordered.

State sentencing guidelines did not call for a prison sentence for Zapata. The guidelines use a point system to determine if a defendant "scores" prison time. Zapata did not.

Zapata had entered a no-contest plea last year to written threats to kill or do bodily injury, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. It was an open plea meaning there was no agreement with prosecutors on any possible prison time.

Zapata said to be fascinated by Hitler

Zapata was the third person to be arrested after threatening to kill Chitwood while chatting on the extremist group platform 4CHAN, according to a report.

On April 7, Zapata posted “I WILL KILL CHITWOOD, MARK MY WORDS.” His threat was investigated by the Central Florida Intelligence Exchange.

Zapata's internet post was traced to a home in Ansonia, Connecticut, where he lived with his sister, her fiancé, and her child, authorities said.

The sister told investigators that Zapata was always on his computer, often participating in extremist chat rooms and “talking to unknown people about conspiracy theories and white supremacist ideology,” Sheriff’s Office Spokesman Andrew Gant said previously.

Man sentenced to prison

The first person incarcerated for threatening Chitwood was Richard Golden, of Monmouth Junction, New Jersey. Golden was arrested for suggesting to hate groups in a white supremacy chatroom that Chitwood be murdered. Golden posted that killing Chitwood, by shooting him in the head, would get him out of the way of hate groups' activities in Volusia County.

Circuit Judge Karen Foxman in December adjudicated Golden guilty and sentenced him to 366 days in prison. She also ordered that Golden pay $2,112 in restitution for extradition costs.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Connecticut man who threatened Volusia Sheriff Chitwood gets probation