Edhat Staff
Fifth Santa Barbara County School Targeted with Threats This Month
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Deputies are investigating a threat made to Orcutt Junior High School. This is the fifth threat to a Santa Barbara County School this month.
Deputies received a notification of a threat to campus on Sunday evening. They have not identified an immediate threat to the school but will be conducting frequent patrol in an abundance of caution, according to Sheriff’s spokesperson Raquel Zick.
“If you see something, say something,” said Zick.
Santa Barbara Police announced a separate school violence report is under active investigation as well.
On Monday morning, the Santa Barbara Police Department received a report from a concerned parent regarding a social media group chat that involved a discussion of a possible school violence incident involving Santa Barbara Unified Schools. These posts have been circulated among students and parents via social media and text messages.
“The initial information received is vague and non-specific. Out of an abundance of caution, there will be additional police presence in our community around schools throughout the day,” said Sergeant Ethan Ragsdale, “Our detectives are actively communicating with school district administrators and will inform the public of any developments.”
The Santa Barbara Police Department is actively investigating these reports and following up on all leads to determine the validity of these possible threats. They are asking anyone with information about this incident to please contact Detective Ford (805-897-2343 or bford@sbpd.com).
This past Thursday, Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a threat circulating on social media directed at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta. The investigation revealed the threat was not credible after identifying and contacting the student responsible.
That same day another incident took place at San Marcos High School. Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a report of a juvenile with a gun and placed the school on lockdown. Their investigation was able to identify the student and determined there was no gun, lifting the lockdown.
Last Wednesday, Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a reported threat at Jonata Middle School in Buellton. Detectives contacted involved parties and worked with school administrators determining there was no credible threat.
Earlier this month, Santa Maria Police received a tip from the FBI regarding a potential school threat circulating on TikTok/social media. A user had posted a threat to carry out a shooting at a school believed to be in Santa Maria.
Investigators identified a 14-year-old male in Santa Maria as the source of the threat. By 9:00 AM, the juvenile was located at his residence in northeast Santa Maria and arrested. He was found to be in possession of a replica firearm and was cooperative with law enforcement.
This is an alarming trend that taking place nationwide, specifically after a teenager opened fire at a rural Georgia high school and killed two teachers and two classmates this month.
As most schools in the United States are only one month into the school year, schools are receiving an influx of gun threats on campus with some of these threats involving the confiscation of firearms from students on campus.
During the 2022-2023 school year, nearly 64% of violent incidents and threats to schools tracked by the Educator’s School Safety Network “were false reports of an active shooter within the school.”
“This is the grim reality of ‘guns everywhere’ culture: when state policy ensures the absence of gun safety laws, the consequences are deadly,” states advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety.
An estimated 4.6 million American children live in homes where at least one firearm is kept loaded and unlocked.
“We’re clearly experiencing a crisis despite there being such obvious methods of prevention, chief among them being that all gun owners simply secure their firearms in their homes and cars,” said Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician and Senior Advisor at Everytown for Gun Safety.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office continues to encourage individuals to report any suspicious activities or threats they encounter. By doing so, the community plays a crucial role in safeguarding public spaces and preventing potential incidents.
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I would like to know what happened to the last three individuals that posted threats. If their actions had consequences and were publicized it would go a long way to stop this type of behavior.