Aptos High School threat found to be “joke”
UPDATE 8/26/2019 9:52 a.m. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office responded to a threat against Aptos High School by a student over the weekend that law enforcement found was not serious.
On Sunday afternoon, the Sheriff’s Office received several calls about a threat toward Aptos High School. Investigators found that a 14-year-old male posted a comment on Snapchat about school on Monday, and they said the comment did not include a threat of violence.
Deputies found the teen and said they found that the post was made as a joke. They searched his home and confirmed that he did not have access to weapons.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is providing extra security at Aptos High School and increasing patrols at other local schools.
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District wrote in a statement, “Site Administration has been in communication with Aptos High School families since last night; a message was sent early this morning to notify students and families that the school is open and safe for students to attend. As usual protocol in these instances, the site will have additional resources to support students.”
PREVIOUS STORY: The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office says a potential threat to Aptos High School by a student was found to not be serious.
The Sheriff’s Office says the investigation led to an in-depth interview with the suspected student. They say it was determined by deputies that the threat was meant as a joke with no intention to carry out any harmful acts.
The Sheriff’s Office says deputies took several other investigative steps to ensure there was no threat to students, teachers or members of the community.
The Sheriff’s Office says there are no criminal charges pending and the school will further investigate the issue. They say they, as a precautionary measure, they will have numerous deputies at the school Monday.
The Sheriff’s Office thanked all concerned students and parents who called in with information.
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District issued a statement in response to the incident that reads:
“Site Administration worked with the District quickly to initiate the threat assessment protocol. Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Department worked in coordination with PVUSD to actively investigate the threat. The threat was found to be non-credible. Site Administration has been in communication with Aptos High School families since last night; a message was sent early this morning to notify students and families that the school is open and safe for students to attend. As usual protocol in these instances, the site will have additional resources to support students.”
