Charges dismissed against man accused of making social media threats against Gov. Ron DeSantis, Pam Bondi

By
Published  March 4, 2026 5:36pm EST
FOX 35 Orlando
Loading Video…

This browser does not support the Video element.

The Brief

    • All five counts of making written threats against Daniel Cook, 39, were dismissed by the Seventh Judicial Court in Volusia County on March 3.
    • Cook was arrested in January following an FDLE investigation into an X account that allegedly posted death threats against Governor Ron DeSantis, Sheriff Mike Chitwood, and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
    • The case, which originated from a tip by a New York state attorney general regarding posts made in November, concluded with a Nolle Prosequi filing that effectively dropped all charges.

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - All charges were dismissed for a man accused of making threats against Florida and U.S. officials, including Gov. Ron DeSantis. 

What we know:

Charges against Daniel Cook, 39, were dismissed after Cook was accused of making written threats to harm Florida and U.S. officials. 

Daniel Cook. (Courtesy: Volusia County Corrections)

In a Nolle Prosequi in the Seventh Judicial Court in Volusia County – dated on March 3 – all five counts against Cook were dismissed. 

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX LOCAL APP

These counts included: 

  • Two counts of written threats to kill or do bodily injury
  • A threat against a law enforcement officer
  • Two counts of unlawful use of a two-way communications device. 

The backstory:

On Jan. 12, Cook – from Edgewater, Florida – was arrested after investigators with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) began investigating an X account that threatened officials including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. 

A New York state attorney general notified FDLE about the posts in November after Cook allegedly wrote on Nov. 7 that he was going to kill DeSantis and Bondi, calling them both a "bozo," according to an arrest affidavit.  

SIGN-UP FOR FOX 35'S BREAKING NEWS, DAILY NEWS NEWSLETTERS

An FDLE special agent reviewed the account and found other posts that referenced DeSantis, as well as a video of a man who self-identified as Daniel Joseph Cook, according to investigators. 

The state attorney’s office was able to determine the account’s email, phone number and IP address with subpoenas sent to X and Apple, according to the arrest affidavit. The information was linked back to Cook’s address in Edgewater. 

Cook admitted to being the owner of the social media account and said he made the post "as an expression of frustration." He also provided investigators with his phone number, which matched the one listed on the account with the threatening posts, according to investigators. 

The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the Seventh Judicial Circuit Court in Volusia County. 

Crime and Public SafetyVolusia County News