Castroville man pleads no contest to falsely reporting bomb threats

A Castroville man accused of making false bomb threats at North Monterey County High School and the Salinas Courthouse has entered no contest pleas.

In May of 2017, 29-year-old Ruben Torres called 911 from an untraceable phone and said there was a bomb on the high school campus. It was placed on lockdown, and the more than 1,000 students and nearly 50 staff members were evacuated for two hours while law enforcement conducted a search. The District Attorney’s Office says Torres was a security guard at the school.

On March 11, 2019, Torres called 911 three times to report a bomb. In the first call, he told dispatchers there was a bomb at the Salinas Courthouse. The second call came moments later, and he said, “10 minutes, Salinas Courthouse will no longer be there.” In the third call, he asked dispatch how good the bomb squad is. The courthouse and other county offices were evacuated, but law enforcement did not find a bomb after searching for hours.

The next day, Torres called 911 twice. The first time he reported an active shooter at the courthouse, and the second time he said there was “a bomb at one of two places, Salinas Courthouse or Lincoln Elementary School.” The area was searched again, and law enforcement did not find a bomb.

The District Attorney’s Office says that places where Torres has worked in the last several years have received bomb or shooting threats while Torres worked there. Those places include Denny’s in Monterey, the Monterey County Probation Department, Walmart and Natividad Medical Center.

Torres is facing felony probation for six years and one year in custody. He will be sentenced in July.