Social Media Threat at Ukiah Elementary Schools Leads to Quick Investigation and Arrest of Teens

The following is a press release from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office. The information has not been proven in court and all persons described should be presumed innocent until proven guilty:

On 05/10/2024 at 7:39 a.m., the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office received communications from a Ukiah, California resident who expressed concerns about some social media posts his child had received. The posts were shared from one child to another and shown to parents. The post revealed the possibility of a violent gun attack at Grace Hudson Elementary School earlier today. This threat resulted in an immediate and visible law enforcement response at Grace Hudson Elementary School. Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office patrol personnel and detectives coordinated with administrators at Grace Hudson Elementary School and Ukiah Unified School District. The sheriff’s office maintained a visible presence at Grace Hudson School while sheriff’s detectives began investigating who was responsible for the threats on a popular social media platform. While this was happening, numerous parents contacted the school and expelled their children as a precautionary measure, showing the impact these threats are having on our community.

In about an hour and a half, Sheriff’s Office detectives, working with the social media company’s security department, determined the possible identity of the person 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 perpetrator was identified as a male juvenile who attends Pomolita Middle School. The juvenile was arrested by Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office detectives on a charge of criminal threatening, in violation of California Penal Code Section 422(a). The juvenile was taken to the Mendocino County Juvenile Detention Center where he was booked. Additional follow-up investigations were conducted, which included interviews with the juvenile’s parents and a search warrant of the juvenile’s home for firearms or weapons.

The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office wants to assure the community that these threats are seriously and promptly investigated. Any threat to schools will be fully investigated, regardless of the intent of the person making the threat. The fact that this incident caused measurable levels of terror and concern among parents, students and school staff is a stark reminder of the seriousness of these types of crimes. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank 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.