Santa Cruz Co. Sheriff’s Office, Sgt. Gutzwiller’s widow receive harassing letters
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION and AP) The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office tells KION that the department and the widow of the late Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller have received harassing letters since his death in June.
Gutzwiller was killed in an ambush in Ben Lomond on June 6. The suspect in his murder, Steven Carrillo, is also accused of killing a federal officer in Oakland and being a part of the anti-government boogaloo movement.
The Sheriff's Office would not disclose the contents of the letters, but said the department is investigating whether they are connected to a man arrested in Santa Clara County.
In that county, a teacher at the Gavilan Joint Community College District, 55-year-old Alan Viarengo, is accused of sending more than two dozen threatening letters to a county health officer during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is also believed to have ties to the boogaloo movement.
The letters were sent to the health officer between April 8 and July 29, and some reportedly contained boogaloo slogans and imagery.
The Associated Press reports that some in the boogaloo anti-government movement have taken to protesting pandemic-related public health restrictions, carrying firearms and warning of violence and saying the directives by states and cities are a violation of their rights. The extremist movement uses an ’80s movie sequel as a code word for a second civil war.
