Death threats suspect to receive evaluation

A Huntington Beach man accused of e-mailing death threats to Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach will be evaluated for mental problems next week, according to prosecutors.

Lawyers have been negotiating a plea bargain for Steve Van Arroyo, 50, for a couple months and it looks like the case may end in Santa Ana court next week, officials said.

Arroyo was arrested in January on suspicion of sending e-mails to Moorlach threatening his life, his family’s and four other supervisors. Days earlier, a man calling himself “Dusty” had called Moorlach’s staff asking for Moorlach’s e-mail address.

Van Arroyo pleaded not guilty in January to making criminal threats and threatening a public official, both of which are felonies. He faces up to three years in prison if convicted of all charges, but a plea agreement could get him out of jail much earlier, said public defender Matthew McCormick.

Arroyo was in court Tuesday to see whether he was eligible for a drug rehab program, but Judge Wendy Lindley rescheduled him to appear in Whatever It Takes Court next week. Whatever It Takes Court, or WIT Court, is a voluntary program for nonviolent offenders diagnosed with a chronic, persistent mental illness like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder.

For Arroyo to be enrolled into WIT Court, Lindley would have to accept a change to a guilty plea and deem that he has served enough time in jail since his arrest more than six months ago, McCormick said.

WIT Court is funded through Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act, which receives money through an income tax on people who earn more than $1 million a year. The WIT Court program involves frequent court appearances, regular drug and alcohol screening and meetings with mental health experts.

Arroyo was sentenced to three years’ probation in 1999 for threatening phone calls.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at [email protected].