UPDATED: Would-be Marina mayoral candidate Kevin Saunders misses deadline to file campaign papers because he's in jail.

UPDATED: As of 5pm Aug. 10, the deadline to file papers to run for the Nov. 6 election, Kevin Saunders has not filed paperwork to be a candidate for mayor, according to the Marina city clerk. 

Kevin Saunders, the erstwhile drug activist and repeat failed candidate for Marina mayor, was arrested Friday, Aug. 10, on charges that he threatened and stalked a witness in a case currently ongoing in Monterey County Superior Court.

A warrant was issued yesterday on the two felony counts—threatening a witness and stalking a witness—and Saunders was arrested by Marina police today on behalf of the Monterey Police Department. He is currently in a holding cell at Monterey PD, pending transfer to the Monterey County Jail or posting $50,000 bail. 

According to the complaint filed by Deputy District Attorney Sarah Ma, the threats and stalking were alleged to have occurred on or around Aug. 6.

"Kevin Saunders did willfully and unlawfully use force and threaten to use force and violence against John Doe and to take, damage and destroy (Doe's) property because (Doe) had provided assistance and information to a law enforcement officer and a public prosecutor in a criminal and juvenile court proceeding," the complaint states. It adds Saunders made a "credible threat" to Doe's safety.

While John Doe's identity remains unknown, Monterey Police Lt. Ethan Andrews says the person is a current law enforcement officer and formerly served on the PRVNT (Peninsula Regional Violence and Narcotics Task Force) team.

The arrest has effectively derailed Saunders latest bid for Marina mayor. While 5pm today, Aug. 10, is the filing deadline for candidates to get their paperwork signed off by city clerks all over the county in various races, Saunders was unable to sign his because of his arrest.

Marina City Clerk Anita Shepherd-Sharp says Saunders’ campaign manager Kitty Merchant tried to file election papers on Saunders’ behalf today, but because they weren't signed by Saunders, Shepherd-Sharp refused to accept them.

Mayor Bruce Delgado faces a challenge from retired Marina Police Cmdr. Bob Nolan.

For several days, Saunders has been sending emails to Delgado urging him not to seek re-election, and wrote that if Delgado decided not to run, he would back out of the race.  

"I am willing to forgo this election and NOT turn in my completed paperwork IF you rescind your own paperwork," Saunders wrote in an email Aug. 9 to Delgado, and copied members of the media. 

Then seeming to address the city clerk, Saunders followed up with this email Thursday: "Anita, I’ll have those siggies to you ASAP, along with completed file on PDF. Getting sigs notarized this afternoon. I’ll have the package at your desk by 9am, tomorrow morn. I’m sorry for the late turn in from last elections record breaking filing, but we wanted to give this full thrift. And allow Bruce to make up his mind, clearly he is out of it by not accepting my offer of a treaty."

It is not the first time Saunders has faced criminal trouble. In recent years, for example, he has pleaded no contest to violating a restraining order, making harassing phone calls and violating elections code.