A Canyon Country man arrested Tuesday on suspicion of making obscene and threatening phone calls pleaded no contest Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge of making annoying phone calls.
Antonio Soto, 46, described as a transient by deputies of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station who arrested him, appeared in court at the Santa Clarita Courthouse where he entered his plea.
“The defendant pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of annoying telephone calls earlier this year. The case was completed today,” Shiara Davila-Morales, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, said Wednesday.
“Soto, however, is scheduled to appear on Jan. 13, 2020, for a progress report hearing in Department 1 of the Santa Clarita Courthouse,” she said.
Soto, described by arresting detectives as a construction worker or recycler, was arrested in May on suspicion of terrorizing and causing fear.
The California Penal Code section for which he was accused, reads: “Any person who willfully threatens to commit a crime which will result in death or great bodily injury to another person, with the specific intent that the statement, made verbally, in writing, or by means of an electronic communication device, is to be taken as a threat.”
Soto was arrested in September, and again, Tuesday, on suspicion of making annoying phone calls. As of Wednesday, neither case has been submitted to the District Attorney’s Office.
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