Lakeport >> Terroristic threats targeting Clear Lake High School led to the arrest of two brothers by the Lakeport Police Department on Thursday.
The suspects, both 17, were charged with terroristic threats, threatening to place a bomb at the location, placing a false bomb at the location — all felonies — and a misdemeanor, alleging they carried a lethal weapon on school grounds. The two were booked at Lake County Probation Juvenile Hall on Thursday morning.
On Wednesday, Jan. 14, Lakeport police officers were dispatched to the school at approximately 2 p.m. They were asked to investigate two phone calls in which the caller reportedly threatened to “come to the school with an Uzi and to drop chemicals and bombs on the school,” according to a press statement by police chief Brad Rasmussen.
After meeting with school administrators, the police launched a criminal investigation and soon determined the caller has used a Skype default phone number. These are often employed by those without a caller ID. The number was also associated with several scams and harassing calls.
Lakeport police communicated all information uncovered with the Northern California Regional Terrorism Threat Assessment Center.
Officers returned to the school at approximately 8:42 p.m. after receiving reports of suspicious activity near the Alakszay Center. The witness informed police that three boxes wrapped with plastic and black tape had been left at the location.
At that point, officers secured the area and requested assistance from the Lake County Sheriff”s Office, the Lakeport Fire Protection District, Lakeport Public Works and the Napa County Sheriff”s Office Bomb Squad.
The bomb squad arrived at approximately 11:40 p.m. and assessed the situation. Eventually the squad performed a controlled explosion to render the packages safe.
Authorities determined the packages were inert. Investigators uncovered evidence from the boxes identifying a male juvenile and former Clear Lake High School student living in Lakeport as a suspect. After completing the search warrant process and receiving authorization from a Lake County Superior Court judge, officers from the police department and deputies from the sheriff”s office searched the home where the suspect and his two juvenile brothers reportedly live.
Information and statements gathered at the home allegedly confirmed the involvement of the suspect and a brother. Investigators determined that the second brother had not been involved with preparing the packages. He was later released.
“We continued to investigate the original phone call threats and have now determined that schools in Oceanside, California; Marysville, Washington and one or more additional locations in the United States received similar bomb threat calls … from the same Skype telephone number,” Rasmussen said in the press statement. “We are in contact with an investigator from the Marysville Washington Police Department regarding their investigation and believe that the threatening calls here are related to the ones there and in Oceanside.”
The investigation is ongoing. Police have recovered evidence, including a computer, a video camera and a mobile telephone for examination.
“We want the public to be aware that we take these incidents very seriously as the safety of our schools is of the highest priority,” Rasmussen said in the statement. “Throughout the investigation we maintained constant communication with the Lakeport Unified School District Administration and city of Lakeport administration to ensure appropriate resources and additional emergency response if necessary. The LUSD has always been prepared and trained for school lockdowns and evacuations if needed.”
The Lake County Probation provided three peace officers to assign to the Lakeport Unified School District today along with increased presence by Lakeport police.
