Apple's firm stance against decrypting iPhones in criminal investigations could land CEO Tim Cook in jail, if the sheriff in one rural Florida county has his way.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. Via Fox 13
"I can tell you, the first time we do have trouble getting into a cell phone, we're going to seek a court order from Apple. And when they deny us, I'm going to go lock the CEO of Apple up," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said, according to FOX 13. "I'll lock the rascal up."
"You cannot create a business model to go, 'We're not paying attention to the federal judge or the state judge. You see, we're above the law,'" Judd added. "The CEO of Apple needs to know he's not above the law, and neither is anybody else in the United States."
It's not clear exactly how Judd would follow through on such a threat; in addition to the fact that Cook lives in California and is unlikely to ever set foot in Polk County, he has a formidable legal shield in front of him.
The sheriff's comments came during a press conference for a case in which the suspects -- who are accused of beating, sexually assaulting, and murdering a man -- took photos of their crime and showed those photos to others. The suspects then provided police with the phone's passcode.