PALM COAST, Fla. – A Florida man is accused of threatening to throw acid on a man's daughter because he was upset about a business transaction gone wrong, according to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies said the victim contacted them Wednesday afternoon about threats made by Mark Klos, 72, of Flagler Beach.
The victim said the threats began in June because Klos wanted a refund on a service that the victim's family business provided, according to the affidavit. The victim provided a partial refund because some service had been rendered but Klos was upset because he wanted a full refund, deputies said.
On Wednesday, deputies said the victim and his wife received a threatening email from Klos that prompted him to contact authorities because it mentioned harm coming to his daughter.
Below is the entire text of the email, according to deputies:
"Here is the situation, either (name redacted), (name redacted)'s father-in-law, pays me or you pay me. I would not want to go to my grave knowing the devastation and suffering to my family was caused by my failure to accept responsibility in honoring my commitment. Imagine yourself being attached to a time bomb which can be triggered at any given moment. Or imagine your daughter having to spend the rest of her life wearing a veil to conceal horrific scars caused by the acid burn to her face.
"Lady, this is NO GAME! The very fact that you are reading this convinces me BEYOND a SHADOW OF ANY DOUBT WHATSOEVER that your family has never encountered ANYONE like myself. I'm all done being a nice guy."
"In a court of law, litigation is nothing more than throwing money at a problem to make it go away and an out of court settlement is, always, ideal. This will be, MOST DEFINITELY, settled out of court either amicably or adversely; it's up to (name redacted). My people are in place and are ready to act if he chooses incorrectly."
"So, my money by next week or....."
"P.S. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES am I to hear from ANYONE except (name redacted). That means if you, (name redacted), or anyone else contacts me, I will consider it to be the epitome of disrespect which will set in motion a situation that only a lunatic would want."
Records show Klos was arrested Thursday evening on a charge of written threats to kill or injure.
"That's not the way to handle a dispute with a contractor that you're working with," Sheriff Rick Staly said, adding, "Sometimes contractors don't deliver at the level that you expect but you don't threaten to throw acid on them."
Staly said the victims in this case weren't the first business owner's the suspect has threatened.
"This is not just one time," the sheriff said. "He is just consistently doing this and it's with multiple companies."
On Saturday, deputies said Klos died of an apparent suicide in his jail cell.