The Pulse
Florida Woman Arrested After Alleged AI-Chat Threats Against Sheriff’s Office
A Lee County arrest report says Carli Michelle Heller was arrested after investigators linked two alleged threats against the sheriff’s office to messages sent through an Anthropic AI platform. The report describes the platform’s escalation
AI.info Team · Written with AI ·
Messages about the Lee County Sheriff’s Office
WINK News reported that a Bonita Springs woman was arrested after investigators alleged she threatened the Lee County Sheriff’s Office while using an Anthropic artificial intelligence platform. SWFL.io republished the WINK report on September 30, 2026. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrest report identifies the woman as Carli Michelle Heller and records her arrest that day.
According to the report’s probable-cause statement, a tip described messages from a user identified as “Carli.” It says that at about 5:10 a.m. on September 26, the user wrote that she was going to “shoot up” the sheriff’s office. At about 1:07 a.m. on September 27, the same user allegedly wrote that she had a new gun. The report records those statements as allegations; they are not a court finding about Heller’s guilt.
The report says the platform used safety measures to monitor for key phrases and potentially threatening content. It states that, because of the severity of the messages, the information was escalated to a human review team, which then reported it to law enforcement. Investigators identified Heller, and deputies went to her Bonita Springs residence, where they detained her without incident. The report says an intelligence detective assumed the investigation.
WINK reported that Sheriff Carmine Marceno said Heller later described using AI like a “diary.” Marceno also issued a statement about threats made using AI:
“Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool, and like any technology, it can be misused,” Marceno said. “When someone uses AI to make or facilitate a threat, we have to take that threat seriously.”
Carmine Marceno, Lee County sheriff, in a statement reported by WINK News
The charge
The arrest report lists a charge under Florida Statutes Section 836.10, which covers written or electronic threats to kill, do bodily injury, or conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism. The statute makes it unlawful to send, post, transmit, or procure the sending, posting, or transmission of a writing or other record, including an electronic record, “in any manner in which it may be viewed by another person” when it contains a threat to kill or harm another person, or to conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism. A violation is a second-degree felony.
The report lists October 20, 2026, as Heller’s return court date. The charge is an allegation, and an arrest report is not a finding of guilt.