A San Antonio man with severe mental illness is accused of threatening a state judge and his own lawyer in a series of disturbing Facebook posts.
Ryan Alcoser, 43, was arrested Tuesday and charged with making a terroristic threat against a peace officer. He is being held without bond after prosecutors asked the court to revoke his probation from earlier convictions for driving while intoxicated and assault of a family member by choking or strangulation.
This incident comes just one day after another public official in the San Antonio area faced a similar situation. On Monday, a different person allegedly threatened Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones in an X forum where she suggested pausing the city council’s review of Project Marvel to study its costs and benefits.
According to Bexar County court records, Alcoser began posting threats on Facebook Sunday. In his messages, he targeted both State District Judge Ron Rangel and criminal defense attorney Anthony Cantrell, who had previously represented him in his DWI and assault cases.
“You … are all dead,” Alcoser wrote in one post filled with offensive language, an arrest affidavit states. Investigators noted that he ranted about “human robotics” and claimed the court system was corrupt, posting numerous messages throughout the day.
A Bexar County Sheriff’s Office investigator later spoke with Alcoser’s mother. She told deputies that her son had just been released from a treatment facility after a four-month stay. Instead of improving, she said, he became more upset and unstable. The affidavit notes that Alcoser has bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and is not currently taking medication.
Judge Rangel has served on Texas’ 379th District Court for 17 years. Recently, he was reported to be considering a campaign for Bexar County district attorney following Joe Gonzales’ departure.
Rangel has won his seat without opposition in the last three elections, with his current term running through 2028. He has also been chosen multiple times to serve as both Bexar County’s local administrative judge and the criminal district court administrative judge.
