On behalf of Law Offices of Kathleen G. Alvarado posted in criminal law on Friday, February 23, 2018.
Particularly in these times, people in Riverside, California, need to recognize that what they threaten to do, even if they do not mean their threat seriously, will be responded to by authorities with the utmost urgency and firmness.
A man from the Southern California city of Norco found this out recently when police came looking for him after he allegedly made threats that he was going to go to a local college and shoot people. When police came to his home, they reportedly located weapons, including loaded handguns and a loaded AR-15. While police deemed the threats credible, they did not go in to details about exactly what the nature of the threatening social media posts were or why the man was making these threats.
The man’s roommate indicated that he was not aware of any threatening or other suspicious behavior on the part of the man, who was working as a housekeeper at the time of his arrest.
Even though nothing actually happened, the man can still face serious criminal charges in connection with this incident. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, he may find himself facing felony charges related to firearms, and, possibly, charges for an attempted crime. He may also face legal trouble for nature of the threatening statements themselves, as threats are not protected by the Constitution or California’s laws.
This man will no doubt want to mount a strong defense to these charges even if he intends to negotiate but especially if there is another side to this story. He may consider getting the assistance of an attorney with experience in criminal law in order to help him through this process.
Source: NBC 4, “Norco man accused of threatening to shoot people on college campus arrested,” Tony Shin, Feb. 21, 2018.