Threatening Social Media Post Prompts Lockdown of Two Santa Maria High Schools

Source: Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office

At approximately 9:30 a.m. this morning, March 14, 2018, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office received information regarding a potential social media threat at Righetti High School in Santa Maria. The threat indicated there was a gun on campus and threatened violence during a planned National School Walk Out to commemorate the one-month anniversary of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Righetti High School and St. Joseph High School were placed on lockdown while the Sheriff’s Office and School Administrators investigated the threat.

The School Resource Deputy assigned to the campuses was assisted by additional Sheriff’s Deputies and officers from the California Highway Patrol and the Santa Maria Police Department. The threat was determined to be an unrelated social media threat, which had been investigated by the Atascadero Police Department earlier this morning. Atascadero Police quickly identified, contacted and arrested the student r esponsible for the social media threat. The investigation determined the student acted alone and no other students were involved. Once the threat was determined to be unrelated to Righetti and St. Joseph High Schools the lockdown was lifted just before 11:30 a.m. this morning.