Maricopa County, AZ — The Alberta, Canada man who has been repeatedly arrested after making eight death threats against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his family, finally received a sentence in a Canadian court this week that barely amounts to “a slap on the wrist” according to Arpaio.
Lionel Makokis was sentenced to a mere 18 months of probation to include six (6) months house arrest and he is also prohibited from owning a firearm for the next 10 years.
“This man fits every profile we have ever seen of a domestic terrorist waiting to unleash his insanity on innocent lives and yet all the Canadian courts do with him is sentence him to house arrest?” Arpaio says. “At the very least, Makokis requires long-term psychological care in a mental hospital, not a six-month house arrest in front of a computer or TV screen watching crime dramas or news events which may fuel his imagination.”
Arpaio points to the most recent email from Makokis as perhaps the most alarming so far.
In it, Makokis said his plans to murder the Sheriff would be part of an act that would be “something worse than Columbine, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, Al Queda and ISIS put together.” Arpaio says, “In the email to my office, Makokis names a number of mass killings that have occurred at the hands of domestic and international terrorists. So clearly, he is aware of the horror of those acts and is now threatening to do something of a similar nature.”
Makokis, who is 19 years old, started threatening the Sheriff over the Internet in July 2013, sending a string of emails.
The first said he would murder Arpaio, his family, then bomb his home. A second threat came in October 2013 where Makokis said he would come to America and open fire on Arpaio and his wife in the community of Fountain Hills where they live.
Another threat in November 2013 said he planned to kill Arpaio with a Glock handgun.
The fourth threat was a few months later where the teen threatened to “turn Arpaio into a woman” by cutting off his testicles.
The fifth threat in March of this year said he was going to blow Arpaio’s head off and blow up the Sheriff’s headquarters.
One month later he claimed to have hired a hit man to kill the Sheriff “execution style.”
Weeks later another threat was sent saying he would stab the Sheriff to death and then decapitate him.
Arpaio says he was shocked by the notification he received from the Canadian Courts yesterday which said, Makokis is only “a nuisance and not something to be worried about.” Arpaio says, “The Canadian authorities may not be concerned, but I certainly am. My fear is we will see this man splashed all over the news someday for committing a horrible act either here or in Canada and there will be deep regret that more was not done to avert his misdeeds.”
