A fanatical supporter of Barack Obama is the prime suspect in an investigation into an Internet death threat against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Adam Eugene Cox, 33, has been arrested in Tennessee on an unrelated warrant for assault. Working with MCSO, deputies in Knoxville served a search warrant and seized evidence from Cox's home after an investigation into the death threat came to light in October 2011. In that threat, Cox stated that Arpaio and his family would be killed, according to MCSO. His postings read, in part: "I plan to kill Arpaio first. He will be filled with a thousand bullet holes before the year is out. I promise you this. He won’t [expletive] with Obama. He will be buried 10 feet under and his whole family will be murdered along with him." The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said the suspect's postings indicate that he is an avid supporter of Obama and that Arpaio's ongoing investigation into the legitimacy of Obama's birth certificate may be behind the death threat. Cox's mother confirmed that her son is a fanatical supporter of Obama, according to MCSO officials. Knoxville deputies said that Cox has a history of assault. Arpaio has faced numerous death threats while in office, including several different Mexican drug cartels which have threatened the sheriff's life and placed a contract nearing $4 million for his execution.