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A transient man accused of threatening Sheriff Christina Corpus skipped his scheduled hearing on April 3, prompting a commissioner of the court to issue a bench warrant for his arrest, according to court records.
James Taylor, who is homeless and on parole, was released on a $10,000 bail bond on March 26 after Commissioner Jugo Borja declined the district attorney’s office motion to set bail at $50,000.
Taylor had previously been convicted of felony battery against a custodial officer and misdemeanor damage to a prison or jail.
He will likely not face additional charges for skipping court, but if apprehended, his bail could be set higher, according to San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
As the arresting agency, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for apprehending Taylor, Wagstaffe said.
The Sheriff’s Office directed all questions to the district attorney’s office.
Wagstaffe said every police agency in the state is authorized to arrest Taylor. Fugitives like Taylor are often picked up during routine traffic stops or while committing other crimes, he said.
Allegations against Taylor
Taylor was charged on March 18 with two counts of making criminal threats and two counts of threatening a sheriff, according to Wagstaffe. He pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Taylor allegedly threatened Corpus twice while in custody at a San Mateo County correctional facility: first on Oct. 29, 2024, through a grievance form and again verbally to a therapist on Feb. 18. In the grievance form, Taylor allegedly wrote he would do something “severe” to Corpus, remarked that physically assaulting her would be humorous, and warned that deputies would need to draw their weapons if he encountered her.
On Feb. 18, Taylor reportedly told a therapist that he planned to kill Corpus using a trash bin or metal tray rack, citing her alleged anti-LGBTQ comments.
A report commissioned by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors into Corpus found that she texted homophobic slurs about an unnamed city official. Supervisor Ray Mueller shared a forensic report from Cellebrite, a company that specializes in investigative software, he claims definitively proves Corpus sent the texts. Corpus denies sending those texts.
Corpus did not comment on Taylor’s arrest at the time.
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