Ukiah boy arrested after threats posted online – The Ukiah Daily Journal

Numerous concerned parents and several police officers responded to Grace Hudson Elementary School on Friday after a threat was posted on social media, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office reported.

According to the MCSO, deputies were contacted around 7:40 a.m. on May 10 by a “concerned citizen” who expressed concern about “a social media post his child had received.”

The MCSO described the post as “disclosing the possibility of a violent firearm attack at Grace Hudson Elementary School (on May 10, 2024)” and that it was “passed from one child to another and shown to the parent” who addressed the Justice applied enforcement.

The MCSO reports that the “threat prompted an immediate and visible law enforcement response” to the school on Jefferson Lane and that MCSO personnel “coordinated with the administration of Grace Hudson Elementary School and the Ukiah Unified School District.”

While officers “maintained a visible presence at Grace Hudson School and sheriff’s detectives began investigating who was responsible for the threats on a popular social media platform, numerous parents responded to the school and removed their children out of precaution, which highlighted the impact of these threats on our community.”

About 90 minutes later, the MCSO reports that investigators “worked with the social media company’s security department to determine the possible identity of the individual responsible for the threats.” Sheriff’s Detectives used information obtained from the social media company, along with assistance from the Ukiah Unified School District, to identify the username from the online post, the phone number used for the post, and ultimately the person responsible for the online posting was responsible for the threatening message via social media.”

The suspect was identified as a “male juvenile attending Pomolita Middle School,” who was subsequently arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats and then booked into the Mendocino County Juvenile Detention Center where he was booked.

The MCSO added that its personnel also interviewed the suspect’s parent and searched his home for firearms or weapons, noting that it also “wants to ensure the community that these threats are seriously and promptly investigated.” Any threat for schools will be fully investigated, regardless of the intent of the person making the threat. The fact that this incident caused measurable levels of shock and concern among parents, students and school staff alike is a stark reminder of the seriousness of these types of crimes.”

The MCSO also thanked “Ukiah Unified School District staff, Grace Hudson Elementary School staff and the Ukiah Police Department for their assistance in this investigation.” Anyone with additional information regarding this matter or other threats to schools, is asked to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office by calling the Dispatch Center at 707-463-4086. Information can also be provided anonymously by calling the Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line at 707-234-2100.”