Welcome to Arrest Stories. A fifty-six-year-old Holly Hill man finds himself behind bars after allegedly threatening to gun down city commissioners over a proposed property tax increase in a public Facebook group. Here's what may have happened.
Rodd Westpfahl's frustration with local politics allegedly boiled over on September twentieth when he posted threatening comments in the Holly Hill Neighborhood Crime Watch News and What's Going On Facebook group. The post came in response to discussions about a scheduled September twenty-third city commission meeting regarding a proposed property tax increase.
According to official reports, Westpfahl wrote, "They ever jack up my property taxes like that, I will personally march down there and gun them all down where they stand. And I have a whole neighborhood of people feeling the same way." The inflammatory message included an image referencing the upcoming commission meeting.
Law enforcement traced the threatening post back to Westpfahl and contacted him at his Ferndale Street residence. When confronted by officers, the suspect allegedly admitted he was intoxicated when he made the comments. He told police he did not own firearms and claimed he did not know how to use guns.
Following his arrest, Westpfahl maintained he was exercising his First Amendment right to free speech. The Facebook account associated with the threatening posts is no longer online.
Legal experts suggest cases involving political rhetoric can be complex. One analyst noted, "If there are political undertones or rhetoric hyperbolic statements contained in the so-called threat, that's going to make it less likely to be perceived as a true threat instead some kind of political activism."
Another expert called it "somewhat of a close case," highlighting the delicate balance between free speech protections and legitimate public safety concerns.
Westpfahl was taken into custody with bond set at fifty thousand dollars. The arrest underscores growing tensions between citizens and local government officials over tax policy decisions.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.