Gadfly Is Held on Death Threat Charges : Arrest: Attorney says Will B. King of Santa Ana plans to plead not guilty to federal counts related to five letters in which his ex-wife and a man were allegedly menaced.

Will B. King, the persistent and pesky government gadfly, was arrested Thursday on charges of sending mail threatening his ex-wife and a former Cal State Fullerton professor, authorities said.

According to a five-count indictment filed in the U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, King, also known as William Beckingham, used the U.S. Postal Service to threaten to “kill, injure and intimidate” former science professor James Hester “by means of an explosive.” A law enforcement source said King thought Hester had a relationship with King’s ex-wife, Becky Beckingham.

One of the five letters mailed to Hester also contained a threat against her, authorities said. The mail was sent in June and July, according to the indictment.

King was arrested at his Santa Ana residence by Postal Service investigators. He was being held late Thursday without bail. A bail hearing is set for next Thursday and an arraignment has been scheduled for Oct. 2.

Deputy Federal Public Defender Leon L. Peterson, who has been appointed to represent King, said his client intends to plead not guilty.

Peterson also said King should be released from custody.

“He is not a flight risk. There is no reason for him to sit in jail,” he said.

Becky Beckingham and Hester could not be reached for comment. A university official said Hester no longer teaches at the university.

King is well-known within county government circles for attending Board of Supervisors meetings, often in women’s dress, and haranguing the supervisors. King also has shown up at city council meetings throughout Orange and Los Angeles counties.

His most notable appearance, however, was at the murder trial of O.J. Simpson this summer. Again dressed in women’s clothing, he was ejected from the courtroom for talking too loudly.

King, whose age was not immediately available, has had trouble with the law before. He has nearly a dozen misdemeanor convictions in Orange County in recent years, from driving offenses to violating court orders, court records show.

King was sent to jail five times in the past three years, mostly for traffic violations, such as driving with a suspended license, according to court records. Five other incidents resulted in fines and several other cases were dismissed.