Anibal Hernandez Santana, the 64-year-old accused of firing gunshots at the premises of Sacramento’s ABC10 television station, has been denied federal bail, as highlighted in a recent federal court proceeding, with authorities citing his previous concerning behavior, including a visit to a nearby elementary school that alarmed staff and teachers and his possession of a firearm in a school zone, according to court documents obtained by KCRA 3.
The retired lawyer and lobbyist, who has no previous criminal charges, was arrested twice in quick succession, first for state charges and then for federal charges, and his attorney, Mark Reichel, had proposed house arrest with an ankle monitor instead of detention. However, the magistrate decided against this, with Reichel defending his client’s innocence, stating, "Under the rule of law, my client is innocent until 12 people inside of this building find beyond a reasonable doubt he is no longer innocent," as reported by KCRA 3. Hernandez Santana’s alleged visit to Sutterville Elementary School wearing military attire and his insistent request to read to the children during a time when he was not cleared as a volunteer raised red flags. This behavior, coupled with the disturbing note he left behind, alarmed the school's staff, who contacted the FBI after making the connection following the TV station shooting, although the Sacramento City Unified School District assured there had been no direct threat to the school in a statement.
The federal case against Hernandez Santana is severe, as it includes charges for possession of a firearm within a school zone and discharge of a firearm within a school zone, on top of interference with a radio communication station, with the discovery of a note in his vehicle referencing sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and several Trump administration members. This information comes from an amended criminal complaint published on KCRA 3. These charges, coupled with state charges related to the shooting, could see Hernandez Santana facing significant time behind bars, while Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho has indicated a belief in political motivation behind the shooting aimed at attacking free media.
Further deepening concerns, federal prosecutors have linked Hernandez Santana to an alarming countdown of sorts, with a planner in his home noting “Do the Next Scary Thing,” and a handwritten message found in his car postulating future targets. Details of this have been reported by ABC10. Hernandez Santana's defense, however, has painted the planner’s message as motivational, related to his sobriety efforts, and his pre-arrest park efforts as routine, rejecting the prosecutors' theories and suggesting that the current political climate brought about by the Trump administration may have influenced the decision to pursue federal charges instead of letting the local district attorney, with a record of prosecuting such cases, lead the proceedings, as cited in newly filed court documents.
