ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. (WIAT) — An Alabama man has been arrested and charged with allegedly making threats to a monastery over 2,000 miles away.

Joshua Michael Richardson, 38, was arrested this week following a series of growing threats made to St. Michael's Abbey in Silverado Canyon, California, in Orange County. According to the Orange County Sheriff's Department, the threats started Aug. 28 when a priest contacted police over "suspicious, threatening emails" sent to the monastery. Later, Richardson visited the monastery and made further threats, which was reported to law enforcement.

After arresting Richardson, deputies searched his car and found body armor, high-capacity firearm magazines, brass knuckles and knives.

"While incidents like this can feel unsettling, they also highlight

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