Jacksonville man charged after posts saying he would be 'hunting at the polls' on Election Day, FDLE says

A 44-year-old Jacksonville man is charged with making written threats to conduct a mass shooting after investigators say he posted online that he would be "hunting at the polls" in the days before the Nov. 3 general election. Erik Dorr was arrested on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to court records cited by First Coast News, following an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement with help from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

Dorr faces one count of written threats to kill, do bodily injury, or conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism, a second-degree felony under Florida law. He has pleaded not guilty, according to First Coast News, and is being held in the Duval County Jail on $75,000 bond. No trial date has been set, and the allegations have not been proven in court.

What investigators say happened

According to an account from FDLE Special Agent Sean Lawler, reported by News4JAX, Dorr made dozens of posts on the Fox News digital platform between Feb. 12 and Oct. 31, 2026. Investigators described the posts as growing more violent over time.

The posts referenced judges, transgender people and election poll workers, according to News4JAX. First Coast News reported that investigators said the posts threatened to terrorize public officials, transgender people and poll workers.

On Monday, Nov. 2, the day before Election Day, FDLE agents and Jacksonville Sheriff's Office detectives went to Dorr's home and questioned him about the posts, both outlets reported. He was arrested the next day.

The posts cited by investigators

Investigators pointed to several specific posts in their account of the case. The dates and wording below are as reported by News4JAX and First Coast News.

First Coast News also reported that one post read, "Midterms are going to be a blast. Literally." Neither outlet tied any post to a specific polling place in Duval County, and neither reported any disruption at the polls on Election Day connected to the case.

What Dorr told investigators

When investigators questioned him, Dorr acknowledged that the posts were tied to his email address and that he wrote them, according to News4JAX. He told investigators he did not intend to hurt anyone and said he was "venting" about political frustration, the station reported.

First Coast News reported that Dorr told investigators he was tired of political warfare. He also told them he does not own any weapons, according to both outlets. Neither report described any weapons being found, and neither mentioned a prior criminal record.

The charge and what it carries

The charge Dorr faces falls under Florida's written threats statute, which makes it a crime to send, post or transmit a written or electronic threat to kill or do bodily injury, or to conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism, in a way that allows the threat to be viewed by others.

The statute is section 836.10 of the Florida Statutes. A second-degree felony in Florida is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Any sentence would depend on the outcome of the case and the defendant's record, and Dorr is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The case was handled at the state level. Neither News4JAX nor First Coast News reported any federal charge or any involvement by the FBI or the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida.

Court status

Dorr has pleaded not guilty, according to First Coast News. News4JAX reported that his next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 25, 2026. He remained in the Duval County Jail on $75,000 bond as of the most recent reports.

The State Attorney's Office for Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit, which covers Duval, Clay and Nassau counties, prosecutes felony cases in Jacksonville. No statement from prosecutors or from an attorney for Dorr was included in the published reports.

Why the case matters for Florida voters

The arrest came on the day Floridians cast ballots in the 2026 midterm general election, and the posts investigators cited singled out poll workers, the volunteers and county employees who staff polling places across the state's 67 counties. In Duval County, those workers are recruited and trained by the Supervisor of Elections office.

Threats like the ones alleged here are investigated in Florida by local law enforcement and FDLE. The case shows how online statements made on a national news platform can lead to a state felony charge in Florida even when, as Dorr told investigators, the person says he had no plan or weapon to carry it out.

Election Day in Duval County

Voting in Duval County on Nov. 3 went ahead without any reported disruption tied to the case. The problems reported that morning were mechanical: a tabulator broke at the Community Presbyterian Church polling place in Atlantic Beach, and two sites, the Regency Square Branch Library and the Church of Eleven22's Arlington campus, lost power before polls opened during an outage affecting more than 5,000 customers, Action News Jax reported. Poll workers used generators, Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland said both locations opened on time, and voters at the Atlantic Beach site put ballots into the machine's locked emergency slot until a replacement tabulator arrived, according to the station.

Another threat case before the election

The Jacksonville arrest was one of at least two Florida cases in the final week of the campaign involving written threats charges. On Oct. 30, Volusia County deputies arrested Allison Albro, 21, of Daytona Beach, after an Instagram post that authorities said threatened to shoot President Donald Trump at his midterm rally that evening at the Ocean Center, FOX 35 reported. The U.S. Secret Service flagged the post to the sheriff's office's Domestic Security Unit, according to the station.

Albro was charged with written threats to kill or do bodily injury and unlawful use of a two-way communications device. She told deputies the post was a joke, and no weapons were found in her home, FOX 35 reported. "We are not going to tolerate threats to assassinate the president," Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said. As in the Jacksonville case, she has been charged but not convicted, and the two cases are not connected.

What's next

Dorr is due back in court on Nov. 25. Prosecutors will decide whether to proceed on the charge as filed, and his defense will have the opportunity to challenge the evidence, including the posts and the statements he made to investigators on Nov. 2. Anyone with information about threats against election workers or public officials can contact the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office or FDLE.