A Manteca man is in custody on $150,000 bail Monday with charges of felony threats after he allegedly made multiple calls and left 12 voicemails threatening staff members at the office of U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, last month, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.
Ronald Joseph Lafaye, 52, pleaded not guilty to his charges when appeared in court Monday, days after his extradition from Oregon where he was found at a Days Inn, according to prosecutors.
On March 19, Lafaye allegedly spoke with three staff members at Speier’s office and left messages with a range of comments, from complaints about the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and police officers to disparaging remarks about her staff members, according to prosecutors.
In his voicemails, Lafaye allegedly claimed he was assaulted in the past while a witness was watching and also outlined plans to torture a staff member, adding he was taught to torture women, according to prosecutors.
Lafaye, who prosecutors said has a lengthy record for similar conduct, is also believed to have identified himself in the voicemails and indicated he is not anti-Speier, but angry at her staff, according to prosecutors.
The county’s private defender program was appointed to Lafaye’s case and he will next appear in court April 20 for preliminary hearing, according to prosecutors.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.