Alameda County
Man Arrested for Making Death Threats Against Mayor Barbara Lee
Arrested last week, Pokorny faces a felony for threatening a public official and also hate-crime allegations. He has pleaded not guilty.
By Ken Epstein
David Pokorny, 45, of El Cerrito, has been charged with mailing racist death threats to Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee.
Arrested last week, Pokorny faces a felony for threatening a public official and also hate-crime allegations. He has pleaded not guilty.
The first email, sent Sept. 7, used racial slurs to refer to Black Oakland residents. The sender threatened to kill them, as well as government officials, including Lee, police officers, and judges.
The most recent email, sent Sept. 21, directly threatened Lee: “You are a psychopath,” the sender wrote, “and I’m going to torture and murder you.”
Responding, Mayor Lee said, “Violence has no place in our city or our democracy. Intimidation and hate will not silence Oakland public servants or the communities we represent. We will continue to do the people’s work — regardless of circumstances.”
Pokorny was arrested Oct. 7 in Southern California and booked into Santa Rita Jail. As of Wednesday, he remained in custody, with bail set at $70,000.
