Conviction Upheld For Man Who Threatened To Kill Lost Hills Cops

Warning: graphic descriptions

CALABASAS, CA —A state appeals court upheld Tuesday a Colorado man’s conviction for threatening to kill a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s captain and other employees at the Malibu-Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station in Calabasas.

Jason Michael Kozup was convicted in September 2018 of 14 counts of criminal threats, three counts of felony vandalism, and one count of stalking and attempted extortion.

California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal found that evidence that the captain and other personnel at the Lost Hills station “believed Kozup meant to carry out his threats and took them seriously was overwhelming.”

The three-justice panel noted that the captain was “frightened by Kozup’s threats to decapitate him” and that he moved his family from their home.

“The station was placed on high alert,” said the 19-page ruling. “Armed deputies in tactical gear were posted on the roof of the station to watch for suspicious individuals and activities. Desk personnel were ordered to stay behind bullet-proof glass.”

Deputy District Attorney Ranna Jahanshahi said that Kozup called the sheriff’s station, demanded money, and made numerous threats to kill the captain, including one where he said, “There’s a total of seven officers that are lined up this weekend for full execution.”

Kozup was arrested by FBI agents in Colorado in May 2015, less than two hours after his last recorded threat to the sheriff’s station, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

He was sentenced in October 2018 to eight years and four months in state prison, but received custody credit for nearly seven years, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

— City News Service contributed to this report.