Alberta teen arrested over death threats against Arizona sheriff

TORONTO – A 16-year-old Alberta teen was arrested earlier this month for threatening Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio for the seventh time.

In an e-mail sent to Arpaio on May 1, the teen said he couldn’t wait to stab him “50 times in the chest” and that he’d slit his throat and throw his “body in a dumpster” which he would “light on fire” afterwards.

The teen in question has been arrested several times in the last ten months for threats against Arpaio and was even sent to a mental health facility for 30 days under court order.

In a threat made in July 2013, the teen said he would bomb Arpaio’s house, killing his entire family. In October 2013 he threatened to open fire on Arpaio and his wife.

The teen was awaiting sentencing for those previous charges when he sent the most recent threat.

In the most recent e-mail, the teen says he’s going to be Arpaio’s “worst nightmare” and that he’s not worried about being extradited.

He also says the authorities in Canada “are too cowardly to do anything about it.”

Arpaio is not just concerned for the safety of his family, but for people in Alberta near the teen.

“This suspect is a ticking time bomb. My patience is running thin. If I have to return to Canada again to testify, I will in order to aid in the prosecution of this menace,” Arpaio said in a statement.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "This suspect is a ticking time bomb. My patience is running thin. If I have to return to Canada again to testify, I will in order to aid in the prosecution of this menace," Arpaio said in a statement.

Known as “America’s Toughest Sheriff,” 81-year-old Arpaio has had his fair share of controversy.

He backed an anti-illegal immigration bill in 2010 and he’s been found guilty in Federal Court of racial profiling. He also investigated and claims that U.S. President Barack Obama’s birth certificate is forged.

He’s also been accused of abusing power, violating election laws, failing to investigate sex crimes, including a case involving a 13-year-old girl who was raped by her uncle, and for having unconstitutional jail conditions.

In 2007, a 37-year-old Toronto man was arrested for telling Arpaio he would kill him with “a bullet in the head or heart.” He also threatened to “poison him” and “blow up his car or burn him alive.”

Arpaio testified in a Toronto court during the prosecution and the man was found guilty.