Inmate Convicted of Threatening to Shoot Officer at His Home

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — A San Luis Obispo County jury found California Men's Colony inmate Mark Randall Fawcett, 40, guilty of felony criminal threats against a correctional officer, for a November 25, 2025 threat to get a gun, come to the officer's home and shoot him, District Attorney Dan Dow announced.

Read the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney release: https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/departments/district-attorney/latest-news/2026/november/jury-convicts-california-men%E2%80%99s-colony-inmate-of-threatening-to-come-to-a-correctional-officer%E2%80%99s-home

The jury returned its verdict on November 12, 2026, in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, after a six-day jury trial, according to the release.

Fawcett was found guilty of criminal threats, Penal Code section 422(a), a serious felony under Penal Code section 1192.7(c)(38), officials reported.

In a separate phase of the trial, the jury also found true that Fawcett has a prior criminal threats conviction from Merced County in 2018, which qualifies as both a strike and a prior serious felony conviction, and found true factors in aggravation, according to the release.

A November 2025 Threat, A Family's Home, And A Parole Date

The evidence showed that on November 25, 2025, while the officer was performing his duties at the California Men's Colony, Fawcett told him he was going to get a gun, come to the officer's house and shoot him, according to the release.

The officer testified that Fawcett went from calm to enraged after making the threat, officials reported.

The officer testified that, compared with other threats he had received from inmates, this one escalated the situation because it reached beyond the prison walls to his home and his family, according to the release.

Shortly after the threat, the officer reviewed Fawcett's prison records to assess whether the threat could be carried out, officials reported.

He learned that Fawcett was in prison for crimes that included stalking and threatening to kill a public official, that Fawcett had family living in San Luis Obispo County, and that he was scheduled to be released on parole by the end of 2026, according to the release.

The officer took the threat seriously and was in fear for his own safety and the safety of his family, officials reported.

A 12-Year Term, Three Prior Commitments, And A Strike Prior

Fawcett is currently serving a 12-year state prison sentence, according to the release.

His criminal history and prior prison commitments include a 2014 felony stalking and vandalism case, officials reported.

They also include 2018 criminal threats in Merced County and threatening the life of a public official, according to the release.

They also include a 2021 felony stalking conviction, with a prior conviction for stalking, and vandalism, officials reported.

"Our correctional officers do some of the hardest and most dangerous work in public service, and they deserve to go home to their families safe at the end of every shift," said District Attorney Dan Dow.

"This defendant threatened to come to an officer's home with a gun. No officer, and no officer's family, should have to live in fear," Dow said.

A December 10 Sentencing, An 11-Year Maximum, And What Happens Next

Sentencing is scheduled for December 10, 2026, at 8:30 a.m., in Department 6 of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, with the Honorable Michael S. Frye presiding, according to the release.

Fawcett faces a maximum sentence of 11 years in state prison: the three-year upper term for criminal threats, doubled to six years under the Three Strikes law, plus a five-year enhancement for his prior serious felony conviction, officials reported.

That sentence will be served in addition to his current prison term, according to the release.

The case was investigated by the California Men's Colony Investigative Services Unit, officials reported.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Gregory J. Devitt, who is assigned to the Felony Prosecution Unit, according to the release.

Anyone with information about threats against correctional officers or other public safety workers can contact their local law enforcement agency or the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

Sources

San Luis Obispo County District Attorney, Official News Release, November 13, 2026: https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/departments/district-attorney/latest-news/2026/november/jury-convicts-california-men%E2%80%99s-colony-inmate-of-threatening-to-come-to-a-correctional-officer%E2%80%99s-home