A Monroe County man was sentenced July 12 to 18 months in prison followed by two years probation after pleading guilty to threatening Circuit Court Judge Mark Wilson and his family in October 2023.
Judge Wilson received the threats via emails that came from the account of Richard Scott Walter, who wrote to Jones, statement such as, “you piece of f—ing s–t it is going to be my pleasure to take you down anyway I know how,” and “I calling everyone I know to terrorize you and your family.”
On Oct. 30, 2023, Wilson forwarded the threats to the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office. Investigators from that office, Frank Zamora and Tom Walker, met with the judge, “who expressed deep concern for his and his family’s safety and welfare,” according to a statement from the state attorney’s office.
“Under Florida law, it is unlawful for any person to send, post, or transmit threats to kill or do bodily harm to another person, or to harm or threaten harm to any public servant or their immediate family,” the statement reads.
Walter – whose criminal history in Monroe County dates back to 2003, with misdemeanor and felony charges of theft and grand theft – eventually pleaded no contest to the charges of “written threats to kill or do bodily injury.” Judge Teresa Pooler of the 11th Judicial Circuit presided over the case, and Assistant State Attorney James Stewart of the 20th Judicial Circuit prosecuted it, to avoid conflicts of interest.
Pooler sentenced Walter to 18 months in state prison, followed by 24 months of probation with special conditions, including no contact with Wilson or his family, and a mandatory mental health evaluation within 30 days of his release. With credit for time served — 248 days in jail while awaiting his case — Walter will serve about 10 months plus probation.
“Due to the conflict of interest, I voluntarily disqualified my office from this case,” Monroe County State Attorney Dennis Ward said. “I want to thank Judge Pooler and Assistant State Attorney James Stewart for their efforts in ensuring justice was served. Under no circumstances will I tolerate threats against our judiciary and their families. My office will aggressively pursue and prosecute any individual who threatens their safety.”
