Cape Coral mayoral candidate reports threats from opponent, police investigating
CAPE CORAL, Fla. —
Lisa Cohen-Adkinson, a candidate in the Cape Coral mayoral race, claims she received threats from her opponent Rick Erickson over the weekend, leading her to file a report with Cape Coral police.
“I was pretty floored. I mean, it was a day of just nonstop threats and, you know, just a lot of intimidation factors,” Cohen-Adkinson said.
In a video posted to social media, Cohen-Adkinson shared details of the text messages she said she received from Erickson, which included statements such as “Stop it fully or else,” “There will be a higher price to pay, trust me,” and “Better not underestimate me.”
In a one-on-one interview, Cohen-Adkinson said Erickson’s military background, which she described as his primary campaign focus, made her feel even more uneasy.
“He’s dangerous. So he’s running on that. You know, he runs on the fact that he’s a Green Beret and you know that he’s a trained killer and all the things. And it’s actually his only platform. That’s the only thing he talks about is his military background is commendable. There’s no doubt about it. But, I mean, there’s a whole lot more to running a city than, you know, just, you know, doing, you know, doing things in the military,” Cohen-Adkinson said.
Erickson denied the allegations and said he is pursuing legal action against Cohen- Adkinson for what he called false claims and the backlash he has faced. He declined a one-on-one interview, stating he wants a “clean and fair run at mayor.”
In a statement posted online, Erickson described the allegations as “false, politically motivated, and an unfortunate distraction from the issues facing Cape Coral.”
Cape Coral resident Dyanne Stolz said the candidates should focus on engaging with voters rather than engaging in disputes on social media.
“Maybe they should just stay off of social media and do their bidding, publicly go out and speak to the people instead of worrying about what everybody else thinks of them. I don’t think anybody’s going to really hurt anybody over an election. That’s pretty crazy,” Stolz said.
Cape Coral police confirmed the situation is under investigation.
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.