Imperial County, CA — On April 14, 2026, the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division received a report regarding a threatening message posted to a local Facebook group. The post, created from an anonymous account, was directed at a local data center developer and contained explicit threats of violence.
Investigators contacted the developer, who reported being in fear for his safety as a result of the post.
Through investigative efforts by the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office, and with assistance from the Facebook group members, the individual responsible for the post was identified as Diego Joe, a 22‑year‑old resident of El Centro, California.
On April 16, 2026, Imperial County Sheriff’s Office Investigators located Joe near the El Centro Public Library. He was detained without incident and transported to the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office to be interviewed.
Based on the totality of the investigation, Joe was arrested for California Penal Code 422(a), Criminal Threats. He was transported to the Imperial County Jail, where he was booked and is currently being held on $20,000 bail.
This case has been forwarded to the Imperial County District Attorney’s Office for review and prosecution.
Criminal threats can be charged whether or not you have the ability to carry out the threat and even if you do not actually intend to execute the threat. Criminal threats can be verbal, written or electronically communicated.
The Imperial County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to ensuring the safety of all individuals and taking all reported threats seriously.
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