Update: Sacramento councilwomen threatened by man with prior assault charges, police say
Sacramento police have arrested a man after he allegedly threatened Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela, Councilwoman Mai Vang and City Council candidate Karina Talamantes.
Alexander Francis Hoch, 37, is facing two felony charges of threatening the life of a government official, and one felony charge of threatening to commit a crime resulting in death or great bodily injury.
According to the Sacramento Police Department, Hoch was arrested after a standoff that began Saturday afternoon at a home in the 3000 block of C Street, in East Sacramento. Officers were serving a warrant for Hoch’s arrest.
Hoch refused to exit the residence and SWAT officers ultimately “deployed a chemical agent” into the home, leading Hoch to surrender without further incident, according to an entry on the Police Department’s daily crime log.
In a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Sacramento Superior Court, prosecutors allege Hoch “did willingly, unlawfully and knowingly threaten the life of, and threaten serious harm” to Valenzuela, Talamantes and Vang, each on or about last Thursday.
The complaint does not include details on the specific substance of Hoch’s alleged threats, such as whether the threats were connected to his political views. All three women are Democrats and people of color.
The charge of threatening to commit a crime resulting in death or great bodily injury is in connection with alleged threats to Valenzuela and Talamantes, according to the complaint.
Hoch was arraigned Tuesday afternoon after being booked early Sunday morning into the Sacramento County Main Jail. He is not eligible for bail, jail logs show, and is next due in court Tuesday morning for a bail review.
He has faced criminal charges before in Sacramento County.
The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office filed assault charges against Hoch on two occasions in fall 2020. The reported assaults seriously injured a man in August 2020 and again in October 2020, according to criminal complaints filed in Sacramento Superior Court.
The assault charge stemming from the October 2020 incident was dismissed Jan. 26, 2021. That same day, Hoch was convicted in the August 2020 assault, and part of his sentence included probation time. He now is accused of violating that probation in connection with the alleged threats made last week.
As of 2018, Hoch was registered to vote in Los Angeles.
This story was originally published November 16, 2022 at 7:50 AM.
