Michael May
Standing in front of the Mariposa County Courthouse four months ago, Michael “Cosmo” May said all his accusers were lying and he was done taking plea deals for crimes he wasn’t guilty of.
Last week brought a measure of vindication, as felony charges against May were dismissed because the alleged victim, Shawna Coats, admitted she mislead the court.
It wasn’t the first time.
Coats told police May assaulted her on Feb. 5 and threatened her with a deadly weapon.
May was charged on March 19 with two felonies. The next day, March 20, Coats recanted her story.
Coats, 52, said she argued with May, 53, who had just been released from jail, about some missing marijuana.
She said she had been drinking all day, was high on mushrooms and that May was only defending himself, according to the court minutes.
If convicted, May would have been looking at 25 years to life in prison because of his prior convictions and California’s “three strikes law.”
At a hearing March 24, the Mariposa County District Attorney dropped the charges and Superior Court Judge Michael Fagalde dismissed the case.
May was released from the Mariposa County Jail that afternoon. Efforts to contact him were unsuccessful.
Coats did not respond to calls and messages.
In another incident last year, Coats applied for a restraining order against May, but later admitted she was untruthful.
Coats wrote in the restraining order that May “destroys my mental health and peace of mind.” She also wrote that May refused to share in the bills, punches holes in the wall and threatens her dog.
Coats later told the Mariposa Gazette she exaggerated the circumstances in order to get May forcibly removed from her house.
On Sept. 9, Judge Fagalde denied the restraining order because it didn’t contain enough detail.
May, not be over
But that same day, Sept. 9, in a separate incident, two people accused May of attacking them with a hatchet and chainsaw.
May said the two were homeless squatters on property where he lives on the Sarah Priest Indian Allotment in Midpines.
May claimed one of his accusers suffers from mental health issues and wasn’t taking her medications.
He is charged in that case with two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon and, once again, because of “three strikes,” is looking at 25 years to life if convicted.
May was a fugitive after that incident and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
He remained at large until Nov. 26, 2025, when two plain-clothes Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office deputies were delivering Thanksgiving meals to the needy and discovered May in a driveway.
May is somewhat easy to recognize.
He has a tattoo on his forehead that says “wagon burner.”
Generally considered a slur, May said its his own form of empowerment over an old epithet.
May identifies as Ahwahnechee, the indigenous people who lived in Yosemite Valley.
Standing in front of the courthouse last December, May spoke to the Mariposa Gazette with a composed assurance.
“I’ve been coming to this courthouse for four decades. And I’ve plead guilty to some things I shouldn’t have,” he said.
He was done pleading guilty, he said, and wanted to face his accusers in court.
May is a registered sex offender, having been convicted in 2003 of engaging in lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14.
The California Megan’s Law Sex Offender Registry lists May as a high-risk to re-offend.
In 1995, May was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon.
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