A Monrovia man previously convicted in connection with a string of bomb threats in Pasadena pleaded not guilty Friday to six counts of phoning in threats of shootings to San Gabriel Valley schools, hospitals and a mall last month.
Gerardo Cortez, 26, entered the plea in West Covina Superior Court. He was ordered back to court Dec. 6 for another hearing, Los Angeles County Superior Court officials said.
He’s charged with six counts of making criminal threats and five counts of falsely reporting an emergency in connection with the recent string of threats throughout the San Gabriel Valley, which took place Sept. 9 through Sept. 12. In all the cases, he threatened to carry out shootings with an AK-47 assault rifle.
The first incident on Sept. 9 threatened “Citrus Medical Center,” officials said. The vague threat prompted officials to search hospital campuses in Covina, West Covina and Glendora.
A second threat was also phone in Sept. 9 to Santa Fe Middle School in Monrovia.
Threats against Duarte High School, Northview Intermediate school in Duarte and the Westfield Santa Anita shopping mall in Arcadia were received Sept. 10.
And on Sept. 12, officials responded to another shooting threat phoned in to Arcadia High School.
Cortez already has a conviction for making a false bomb threat in connection with a series of bomb threats against a Pasadena school, post office and health department building in October of 2012. Two additional charges of making bomb threats, and another count of attempting to make a criminal threat, were dismissed as part of a a plea deal between Cortez and the prosecution.
He served 8 months of a 16-month sentence after being sent to jail under AB 109 guidelines and released in June, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney’s officials and county records.