Florida Ex-NYPD Sergeant Jailed Over Threat

Local politics in Pinellas County have turned volatile regarding a proposed religious facility. Authorities moved quickly to detain a resident over a specific online threat. Rodolfo Mienert, a 68-year-old former New York Police Department sergeant, was arrested on Monday.

Sheriff's detectives linked Mienert to a social media account that targeted Commissioner Brian Scott. Scott recently voted to approve a land-use change for the North Pinellas mosque. Mienert called the commissioner a Republican turncoat in a Facebook comment. He followed that label with the phrase off with his head!

The comment appeared under the username Rudy MineAllmine. The account profile featured a cartoon rabbit holding a gun. The bio text declared happiness if the user had annoyed a liberal opponent that day. The last post on the page shared a Scott campaign video. It included the warning to not vote for the man who voted for a mosque.

Investigators traced the IP address of the account to Mienert's device. He admitted to detectives that the account was his. Mienert described himself as very vocal and unafraid to share political opinions. He cited the Oct. 27 County Commission meeting as a source of his frustration.

At that public gathering, Mienert spoke to residents about the mosque expansion. He argued that his move from New York to Florida was to escape the former city. He claimed the new construction would harm the local environment. He also stated that the project would worsen traffic conditions in the area.

Sheriff Bob Gualtieri issued a statement calling the threat intolerable. He said the department would strictly enforce laws against threats based on voting records. Mienert now holds one felony count for a written threat to kill. Florida law sets the maximum penalty for this offense at 15 years in prison.

Mienert remains in the Pinellas County Jail. He is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon.