Man who threatened Lee County judge deemed incompetent to stand trial

Writer: Derrick Shaw
Published:
Mugshot of William Daniel Seyfried. (Credit: LCSO)
Mugshot of William Daniel Seyfried. (Credit: LCSO)

A Cape Coral man accused of threatening a judge has been found incompetent to stand trial.

In May 2019, a judge ordered William Seyfried, 45, to have a mental evaluation after being arrested on charges of threatening a judge on Facebook Live, which then lead a bomb squad to search his home.

Seyfried had refused a mental evaluation in the past., but his mother believes her son’s actions are signs of mental illness.

The Seyfried family said they tried to get William checked out for years without any help from him or the court.

Law enforcement began monitoring his social media usage after the threat and that is what led them to Seyfried’s home.

Deputies say Seyfried armed himself and attempted to flee the residence, which started a chase between law enforcement and the suspect. It ended with deputies using a pit maneuver to stop the vehicle and arrest the suspect.

Seyfried faced charges of Assault on an Officer, Threat to Discharge Destructive Device; Resisting Arrest; Intimidation (Threat to harm a Judge); Threat to Bomb (Manufacture, possess hoax bomb); and Hit-and-Run.

Seyfried will be sent to a state facility.

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