A retired New York City police sergeant living in Florida was arrested Monday after allegedly posting a threat to behead a county commissioner who backed an expansion of a local mosque.
Rodolfo Mienert, 68, of St. Petersburg, is accused of commenting on a Facebook post criticizing Pinellas County Commissioner Brian Scott for supporting a land-use change that would allow the North Pinellas mosque to expand. According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Mienert called Scott a “Republican turncoat” and added, “off with his head!”
An affidavit says the comment appeared under the username “Rudy MineAllmine.” The account’s profile picture showed Bugs Bunny holding a revolver, and its bio included a hostile remark about liberals. Its most recent post shared a campaign video from Scott and urged people not to vote for him because he had supported a mosque.
Detectives traced the account’s IP address to Mienert, who later acknowledged that it was his. He told investigators he was outspoken about politics and said he had called Scott a “turncoat” because of the commissioner’s vote.
Mienert also said he attended an Oct. 27 county commission meeting where residents debated the mosque proposal. At the meeting, he reportedly said he had left New York for Florida and argued that the mosque’s expansion would harm the environment and worsen traffic.
He was charged with one felony count of making a written or electronic threat to kill. The offense carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison in Florida.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said threats against a commissioner over a land-use decision would not be tolerated and that authorities would enforce the law.
Mienert, who retired as a sergeant after 22 years with the NYPD, remained in the Pinellas County Jail, according to jail records. He was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon.
