Florida Man Allegedly Threatens to Blow up Elections Office to Stop Robocalls: Police

A Florida man was arrested for allegedly threatening to blow up the Brevard County Supervisor of Elections office to stop instant robocalls, said police.

“The investigation began [Monday] afternoon when the Sheriff’s Office was contacted by the Supervisor of Elections who advised that a telephone call was received from a male who was upset due to receiving unsolicited calls from political candidates,” Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release on Nov. 6.

Daniel Chen, 65, of Melbourne, Florida, called in the bomb threat, the office stated.

A Florida man was arrested for allegedly threatening to blow up the Brevard County Supervisor of Elections office to stop instant robocalls, said police. (Brevard County Sheriff's Office)

Chen threatened to “blow up” the office due to the robocalls, police added.

“Sheriff’s Agents were able to subsequently identify and locate Chen who was confirmed as the person responsible for the threat. Chen was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Brevard County Jail where he was detained for False Report of a Bomb on a $15,000.00 Bond,” the office also wrote.

The sheriff’s office noted that if “you make threats to harm people in this county you just bought yourself a ride” to the county jail.

Meanwhile, in Washington County, Pennsylvania, a man was arrested for threatening to shoot up a polling station, local media reported.

The man, Christopher Queen, said he was promised a gun and money if he voted “straight party,” WPXI reported. Poll workers then informed him that he wasn’t registered to vote, prompting him to threaten them with violence.

He was charged with making felony terroristic threats. He was arrested at his home in Washington County.

“Witnesses told me an elderly poll worker was shaking uncontrollably after he left,” said reporter Cara Sapida of WPXI of the incident on Twitter.

‘Ongoing Threat of Violence’

On Nov. 5, the FBI, along with the Department of Homeland Security said there is an “ongoing threat of violence,” according to a bulletin that was sent to high-ranking officials about election day security, KTRK reported.

“Both domestic extremists and (radicalized jihadists) have previously targeted public events and government officials, and we remain concerned by the ongoing threat of lone offender violence,” the statement says. “We are concerned some domestic extremists and (radicalized jihadists) may perceive the election or transition period (which in most cases will extend through January 2019) as an opportunity to engage in violence, including assaults against political or prominent public figures and low-level acts of violence against governmental and nongovernmental institutions associated with political figures or the democratic process.”

Federal officials also issued a statement on Nov. 5 that they’ve “been working in unprecedented ways to combat influence efforts and to support state and local officials in securing our elections, including efforts to harden election infrastructure against interference.”