Bomb threats traced to a man and woman

UPDATE: 03/29/2017 at 1.37 P.M.: Monterey County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the bomb threats with a man and a woman traced to the threatening phone calls.

Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, Commander John Thornburg, said police are working on a case against the man and woman.

PREVIOUS STORY: 03/28/2017 at 6:15 P.M.: Bomb squad investigators have wrapped up at North Monterey County High School. According to Monterey County Sheriff’s Office the school was cleared of any concern.

Investigators said they did not find anything. They said all affected schools have been cleared of any threats, and they did not find any explosives anywhere.

It all started at around 8:15 Tuesday morning when investigators said Gavilan View Middle School in Salinas got a bomb threat, which sent students and staff into lockdown.

“Well I got a text message saying there was a bomb threat, or saying there was a threat to the school,” said Megan Taylor, a Gavilan View parent. “When I called, I was put on hold for 30 minutes, and they said I couldn’t pick my daughter up from school.”

“I don’t feel good. I’m worried about my daughter. It’s not the first time, it’s the third time that it’s happened and I don’t know why,” said Aracely Yanez, also a Gavilan View parent.

The threats expanded to North Monterey County High School and North Monterey County Middle School. Both schools went into lockdown. Investigators sent out bomb-sniffing dogs and made sweeps through the schools.

“We have not found anything. The threats… all three came over the telephone. They were not very specific, they were more generic than anything else,” said John Thornburg, a spokesperson for the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office.

Parents were concerned about what could happen.

“I see everything’s quiet, but at the same time, I’m still nervous because my kids are in there and I want to make sure that they’re going to be safe and they’re going to release them,” said Dulce Holmes, a parent of two children at North Monterey County Middle School.

Salinas Police also investigated a threat at Virginia Rocca Barton Elementary.

The sheriff’s office said it is still looking for whoever is behind these threats. They said it is possible the caller was pulling a hoax just for attention. In spite of all that happened, local law enforcement stress parents should not be fearful.

“I would tell parents that there’s no credible evidence that this actually was going to be a threat to anybody at any of those schools,” said Thornburg.

Investigators are asking if anyone knows anything about these threats, please contact them as soon as possible.

PREVIOUS STORY: A person calling several schools in Monterey County with a similar message related to a possible bomb treat forced schools to be cleared on Tuesday, according to officials at North Monterey County Unified School District.

Officials said North Monterey County High School, North Monterey County Middle School, Virginia Rocca Barton Elementary School and Gavilan Middle School were all affected.

Lockdown at Gavilan Middle School was lifted late Tuesday morning.

Due to safety concerns, children were not released to anyone, officials said.

PREVIOUS STORY: Lockdown at Gavilan View Middle School lifted, according to Monterey Sheriff’s Office.

PREVIOUS STORY: Students were evacuated at 8.32 a.m. after Gavilan View Middle School received a bomb threat. North Monterey County High School and North Monterey County Middle School also received bomb threats today.

Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Commander John Thornburg said the school received a bomb threat at 8.27 a.m. and a bomb squad including a trained bomb dog was sent in at 8.32 a.m. to sweep the school.

“Our bomb dog and two techs are responding. We are responding as precaution at this point,” Thornburg said.

The North Monterey County Unified School District posted an announcement on its website stating:

“North Monterey County High School and North Monterey County Middle School are currently sheltering in place. There has been a person that has called several schools in Monterey County with a similar message related to a possible bomb threat. We are working closely with the Sheriff’s Department who are on the school campuses and we are taking every precautionary measure to keep your children safe. The schools are in the process of being cleared and it may take some time. In the meantime, due to safety children will not be released to their guardian. Your school will keep you updated once they are all cleared by the Sheriff.”