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Officials arrest man accused of making online threats

2 min read

A Cape Coral street was shut down early Tuesday morning after a resident in the area’s threats resulted in the evacuation of residents on Northwest 15th Terrace.

“Yesterday evening, early evening, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint and a report of an adult male who was utilizing social media to make threats against the judges in our county,” said LCSO Sheriff Carmine Marceno Tuesday morning on scene.

Marceno said the suspect was using Facebook Live and other social media accounts to get his threat out into the public.

At the time, LCSO declined to mention the suspect’s name, but said that the department’s agencies had led officers to the location of 1113 Northwest 15th Terrace in Cape Coral.

Later Tuesday, the LCSO reported that William Daniel Seyfried, 43, of the Northwest 15th Terrace address had been arrested and charged with aggravated assault on an officer, threatening to discharge a destructive device, possession or manufacture hoax bomb, threats to public official or judge, fleeing and eluding law enforcement and threaten with death or serious bodily harm.

“Those resources being undercover detectives from our intelligence units, and major crimes units and all of the above. Every threat is taken serious,” said Marceno. “We were monitoring and investigating and surveilling.”

The suspect, reportedly armed, tried to make a getaway, but was unable to do so as law enforcement interfered and arrested him.

“That man later on armed himself and attempted to flee the residence, which engaged him in a chase with out deputies. Our deputies utilized a pit maneuver to stop the vehicle and take that subject into custody,” said Marceno

Marceno said that LCSO, Cape Coral Police Department, Collier County Sheriff’s Office and bomb technicians were all on scene.

“I can tell you with confirmation that we have located suspicious items inside that house,” said Marceno.

Marceno did not name the suspicious items in that were found.

He did not take any questions as the investigation remains active.

“I also want to make absolutely crystal clear that any subject or suspect that thinks they will threaten a judge in our county — there is zero tolerance, and there’s only one place for them, and thats going to be jail,” Marceno said.

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