Daniel Cook, 39, was arrested Monday in connection with an X account making threats toward Gov. Ron DeSantis and other officials.The Florida Department of Law Enforcement was notified in November by a New York state attorney general of an X post stating the poster would kill the Florida governor. The tweet was posted on Nov. 7.According to reports, one post read, “And miss Attorney General Pam Bondi will kill you in court. While I laugh.”On Nov. 13, the state attorney’s office was able to identify the account’s email, phone number and IP address with a subpoena. The IP address, which is a unique numerical label that identifies a device on a network, returned to the location of Edgewater, which is consistent with Cook’s home address.On Dec. 5, Cook was determined to be the owner of the account. Cook was located by the Volusia Sheriff’s Office almost two weeks later at his residence, where it conducted an interview with him, asking about posts made on X, one of which reports say was a “concerning post referencing Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood.”The post tagged the sheriff and read, “You’ve gone so far as to take my American freedom away, how much is too much? Will you ever find a day that you will stop fleecing the nation? Will you ever stop chasing an innocent man? Or will you not stop at my murder, by you? I request you to halt.”During the interview, Cook admitted to being the owner of the social media account and provided his phone number, which matched the one listed on the account.Cook continued to make threatening posts on the X account following the interview with the VSO. He was later arrested on Jan. 12.Cook is charged with two counts of sending or posting any written or electronic communication threatening to kill or cause bodily harm to another person, threatening death or serious bodily harm to an elected official and two counts of using a two-way communications device to facilitate a felony.
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. —
Daniel Cook, 39, was arrested Monday in connection with an X account making threats toward Gov. Ron DeSantis and other officials.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement was notified in November by a New York state attorney general of an X post stating the poster would kill the Florida governor. The tweet was posted on Nov. 7.
According to reports, one post read, “And miss Attorney General Pam Bondi will kill you in court. While I laugh.”
On Nov. 13, the state attorney’s office was able to identify the account’s email, phone number and IP address with a subpoena. The IP address, which is a unique numerical label that identifies a device on a network, returned to the location of Edgewater, which is consistent with Cook’s home address.
On Dec. 5, Cook was determined to be the owner of the account.
Cook was located by the Volusia Sheriff’s Office almost two weeks later at his residence, where it conducted an interview with him, asking about posts made on X, one of which reports say was a “concerning post referencing Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood.”
The post tagged the sheriff and read, “You’ve gone so far as to take my American freedom away, how much is too much? Will you ever find a day that you will stop fleecing the nation? Will you ever stop chasing an innocent man? Or will you not stop at my murder, by you? I request you to halt.”
During the interview, Cook admitted to being the owner of the social media account and provided his phone number, which matched the one listed on the account.
Cook continued to make threatening posts on the X account following the interview with the VSO. He was later arrested on Jan. 12.
Cook is charged with two counts of sending or posting any written or electronic communication threatening to kill or cause bodily harm to another person, threatening death or serious bodily harm to an elected official and two counts of using a two-way communications device to facilitate a felony.