AI image showing Sheriff Marceno injured in uniform leads to threat charge for Estero man

An Estero man was arrested Tuesday after he was accused of posting an artificial intelligence-generated image on social media of Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno with a head injury, running from two people shooting at him. According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office arrest report, Christopher Ashley Nimmons Jr., 30, was arrested after deputies linked the reported post to an Instagram account that may have been his. The report states the post reportedly showed Marceno wearing his full LCSO uniform and running with a head injury from two people, dressed in dark clothing and fully covered, shooting at him. The image was reportedly posted as a comment under a post regarding the line-of-duty death of Lee County K-9 Dundee, according to the sheriff's office. A previous case involving Nimmons happened July 3. Deputies said they responded to his home to conduct a well-being check on him after he was reportedly sending concerning messages to his family. He was later found in a vehicle at Gulf Coast Town Center and Baker Acted. During the prior investigation, messages provided to the sheriff's office included a photo of Nimmons' face on an Instagram account. According to the report, deputies determined it was the same account accused of posting the image. Nimmons was found during a traffic stop and taken into custody. A cellphone and a firearm were found in the vehicle. The phone number reportedly matched the number on the Instagram account, deputies said. Marceno shared the following statement: “Threats of violence are something we will ALWAYS take extremely seriously. If you threaten law enforcement, we will find you and hold you accountable. Hiding behind a screen or using AI will not protect you from the consequences of your actions. “Our Intelligence Unit does an amazing job investigating threats of violence and immediately taking action against those responsible. We work every day to protect the residents of Lee County, and I will never be intimidated from doing my job or speaking out against those who threaten the safety of our community.” Nimmons was arrested, and he faces a charge of written or electronic threats to kill or do bodily harm and violation of a domestic violence injunction. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.