Fountain Valley man arrested for allegedly threatening to kill state workers

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- A Fountain Valley man has been arrested on suspicion of threatening to kill state workers helping him with employment issues.

California Highway Patrol officers arrested Robert Yorba, 50, for allegedly leaving a threatening voicemail at California's Employment Development Department in Anaheim on Friday.

He was "naming individuals who were employed there and exactly the type of crimes and violence he was going to perform on these people," CHP Officer Paul Fox said.

CHP officers immediately sent home the workers involved and kept the office closed until Yorba was arrested. Officials say it was a necessary precaution considering Yorba's criminal history.

Yorba has previously been charged with manslaughter, assault with a deadly weapon, failure to obey a lawful order from a peace officer and drug possession, Fox said.

One of his neighbors said he's not surprised by Yorba's actions based on what he's seen.

"I heard him on his cell phone. He used to be in the alley a lot, yelling on his cellphone," Fountain Valley resident Mike Warren said.

In an e-mail, the state employment agency wrote that these kinds of threats are rare, but there are safety procedures in place to keep its employees safe.

"You never know whether a threat is a hollow threat or if someone's going to act it out. In the day and age that we live in, we have to take everything very seriously," Fox said.

Yorba is being held on $500,000 bail. He is due to make his first court appearance Wednesday.