El Granada Man Pleads Not Guilty to Deterring Officers in Threats Case

By Bay City News Service:

A man accused of threatening a sheriff’s deputy on social media pleaded not guilty to charges of resisting or deterring an officer Thursday afternoon in a San Mateo County courtroom.

Gervacio Ronquillo Jr., a 24-year-old resident of El Granada, allegedly made threats of violence on his Instagram account, saying he’d plant a bomb on the deputy’s patrol car, according to prosecutors.

Activity on Ronquillo’s Facebook account on March 3 show him complaining about “harassment” after a traffic stop in Half Moon Bay, where he received a ticket for not having a proper smog check.

In an Instagram post on March 6, Ronquillo named the deputy who wrote the ticket and wrote, “Yes officer I daily (sic) my car everyday to school, and yes my car is a gross-polluter vehicle that pollutes EVERYDAY.” In comments on the post, Ronquillo also writes, “one day he will get the BULLET” and “I’m gonna plant a timing bomb on his squad car soon just watch.”

Ronquillo has not been charged with criminal threats, however.

“By publishing these threats he’s trying prevent an officer from doing his duties,” Deputy District Attorney Karen Guidotti said. “This is an attempt to keep law enforcement from doing their job.”

Ronquillo’s bail has been set at $50,000, and he’s scheduled to be back in court for a pre-trial conference on March 25 at 1 p.m. His preliminary hearing has been scheduled for April 1.

Defense attorney Brandon Douglas of the county’s private defender program could not be immediately reached for comment.