Man Who Threatened OC Catholic Church Charged For Illegal Weapons, Threats

SILVERADO, CA — An Alabama man was charged Tuesday with making threats toward a Roman Catholic abbey in Orange County, and he was carrying body armor, ammunition, brass knuckles and knives in his vehicle, authorities said Tuesday.

Joshua Michael Richardson, 38, was charged with criminal threats, possession of a deadly weapon: metal knuckles, carrying a dirk or dagger, all felonies, and misdemeanor possession of a large capacity magazine.

Richardson's Tuesday arraignment was rescheduled for Wednesday in the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.

According to the Orange County Sheriff's Department, Richardson initially sent threatening emails to the church, then went to the church in-person and "made additional threats."

A priest at the church reported the threats to the sheriff's department, and responding deputies quickly located Richardson, according to the OCSD.

"After searching his vehicle, they found body armor, high-capacity magazines, brass knuckles and knives," according to a sheriff's department statement. "He was arrested without further incident and booked into the Orange County Jail."

The arrest came one day after an assailant opened fire at a Catholic school church in Minneapolis, killing two young students and injuring more than a dozen others.