Deltona man arrested after making online threats.

Written by Kristen Schmutz

Belden Communications News

On Tuesday evening, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) alerted Volusia County Sheriff's Office (VSO) detectives to a series of threats made in the comments section of two YouTube videos. The messages were brought to light during discussions on news broadcasts covering the 2016 mass shooting at Pulse Night Club in Orlando and the 2022 mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs.

The individual behind these concerning comments, identified as 18-year-old Seth Montes from Deltona, not only made explicit threats to carry out a church shooting but also expressed admiration for past mass shooters. In one comment, he chillingly stated, "I’m going to shoot up a church next lol have fun seeing me on the news."

Additional remarks referenced notorious incidents in Nashville, TN, and Charleston, S.C., with Montes declaring, "I’m going to be the next Adan Hale. And instead of being a school, it will be a church," and expressing support for Dylan Roof, vowing to follow in his footsteps at a local church.

Following the notification from the FBI, detectives successfully traced the threatening comments back to Montes' residence on Babcock Avenue in Deltona. Subsequently, authorities contacted Montes, conducted an interview, and discovered that he had confessed to making the threats. Astonishingly, Montes claimed he viewed his comments as mere "trolling."

Despite the absence of specific mentions of targeted churches or schools, detectives executed a search of Montes' residence. The investigation revealed that Montes had no firearms except one, secured in a locked gun safe. In response to the severity of the situation, the Sheriff's Office has announced its intention to seek a risk protection order.

Montes now faces a charge of making written threats to kill. Following his arrest, he was booked at the Volusia County Branch Jail and held on a $5,000 bond.