A 32-year-old Moreno Valley man who claimed, according to court documents, that city council members were “infiltrating his phone” and that he planned to kill them has been charged with threatening public officials.
The specific victims were not identified by name in either a declaration written by Riverside County sheriff’s Investigator Robert Castellanos to increase bail or the criminal complaint filed in court by the District Attorney’s Office. But the documents listed by title a single Moreno Valley councilmember, the captain of the sheriff’s Moreno Valley station and the mayor of Murrieta.
“We’re literally going to … kill them. We’re going to start killing officers,” Jesse William Wykel is accused of writing in a message sent on Jan. 16 to WeTip, the online platform for providing anonymous clues to police, according to Castellanos’ declaration.
The declaration did not elaborate on Wykel’s concerns about his phone.
Moreno Valley city officials declined to comment on the case Tuesday. In an email, city spokesperson Marc Lyncheski referred questions to investigators.
According to Castellanos’ declaration, during an interview following Wykel’s arrest, Wykel admitted sending the WeTip message using his phone.
“Wykel stated he does not drink or do any drugs, and he is not currently taking any physiological medication,” Castellanos wrote. “Wykel stated he was previously misdiagnosed as schizophrenic.”
Wykel pleaded not guilty on Jan. 24 to one count of threatening an executive officer and two counts of threatening a public official, all felonies. He is due back in court on Feb. 4. Wykel was being held at Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in French Valley in lieu of $1 million bail.
The usual bail for those offenses totaled $10,000, Castellanos wrote.
“Wykel is a serious threat to public safety and if he is released he would carry out the threats he made,” Castellanos wrote.
At the arraignment, the judge ordered Wykel to be examined by a county mental health doctor.
Castellanos began investigating the case on Jan. 21. He wrote that Wikel included his cell phone number and email address in the tip.
Castellanos said that when he searched law enforcement databases, he learned that Wykel had previously used the same email address to threaten the Murrieta mayor.
Murrieta police Detective Sgt. Ryan Hollenweger said in an interview that Mayor Cindy Warren received the threat on her life via a Jan. 14 email that mentioned veterans and Christians.
“He made statements that were odd in nature,” Hollenweger said.
Warren declined to comment on the threats. Murrietta police Lt. Henry Romero declined to offer specifics on Tuesday but verified that threats against the mayor’s life had been made.
Staff writer Mercedes Cannon-Tran contributed to this report.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct information related to the court filings.