On February 23, 2018 deputies from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, Coastal Division investigated reports that a threat of violence involving a firearm was made by a Carpinteria Middle School student. Numerous deputies were assigned to the investigation and met with staff at the middle school. Staff reported that the threat was made by a 13-year-old on-campus and was overheard by his fellow students.

The student was located and later arrested on a charge of making criminal threats. His residence was searched and no operable firearms were located. The suspect was transported and booked into Santa Maria Juvenile Hall.

School staff alerted parents of the incident earlier in the day. Next week there will be increased patrols across all Carpinteria schools, and we encourage anyone with information about a threat to a school to contact the Sheriff’s Office and school staff immediately.