MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said it has identified a female student as the source of a threat made at two Middletown schools on Thursday, with authorities still to determine if any charges will be filed against the girl.
Lt. Corey Paulich said that, with the help of students and parents, the individual responsible for writing the threat on a school wall between the Middletown High and Middle Schools has been identified as a 13-year-old girl.
The girl’s name has not been released due to her juvenile status.
Authorities said a “vague threat” was discovered written on a school wall between the Middletown High and Middletown Middle school campuses on Thursday afternoon, with Middletown HIgh School officials reporting it to the sheriff’s office.
Paulich told Lake County News that the threat was found written on a sign on the wall.
It was small and handwritten, and stated, “I’m shooting up the skool @ 8 a.m.,” Paulich said.
Paulich said school officials were not sure exactly when the threat was written.
“We treated it like it was today,” as to when the threat was intended to be carried out, Paulich said Friday.
As a result, on Friday, the sheriff’s office had an increased presence on the Middletown High and Middletown Middle School campuses, Paulich said.
Paulich said the sheriff's office worked in cooperation with school officials to investigate the threat, with authorities interviewing the involved students and their parents.
With help from students and parents, Paulich said the individual responsible for writing the threat was identified as the 13-year-old girl.
Based on the investigation, Paulich said the sheriff's office does not believe there’s any further threat.
He said the completed investigation will be forwarded to the Lake County Probation Department for review and possible prosecution.
Probation, not the District Attorney’s Office, handles juvenile-related cases, he explained.
In addition, Paulich said school officials are evaluating how they want to proceed and whether they’ll take any disciplinary action against the student.
The sheriff’s office said the partnership between the Middletown schools, students and parents allowed this threat to be addressed and identified quickly, and the agency thanked all of those who were involved.
Paulich said the sheriff's office and the Middletown Unified School District will continue to take all threats seriously.
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Authorities: Girl responsible for threat at Middletown schools
- Elizabeth Larson
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