Costa Mesa Man Threatened OC District Attorney, Prosecutors Say

COSTA MESA, CA — A 63-year-old Costa Mesa man who had been previously charged with threatening Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer was charged again this week with threatening him.

Danny Bruce Richards was charged with criminal threats and threatening public officials, both felonies, court records show.

He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday.

The threats were allegedly made Feb. 9, according to the criminal complaint.

Richards, who was an Orange County Public Works traffic engineer, was accused in 2022 of threatening Spitzer and Richards' boss, Denis Bilodeau. That case was ultimately dismissed July 23, according to court records.

That case stemmed from Adult Protective Services officials doing a welfare check on him on July 14, 2022. Richards complained about Spitzer and Bilodeau, who is now mayor pro tem of the Orange City Council and president of the Orange County Water District, according to court records.

Richards allegedly asked the Adult Protective Services official if she had "a silencer," according to court records from the 2022 case. He was also accused of saying something to the effect of taking out people in his way.

His attorneys filed a motion to have Richards placed in a pretrial diversion program for those with mental health issues but later withdrew that motion, according to court records.

Richards was also charged with a misdemeanor count of making annoying telephone calls last year but failed to appear and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He pleaded not guilty to that charge on Wednesday.

City News Service contributed to this report.