Orangevale Man Arrested for Making Threatening Calls to Preschools
A 23-year-old man was arrested Wednesday, September 30th on suspicion of making terrorist threats to several businesses in El Dorado County. According to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department, a male suspect phoned several businesses, including day cares and preschools in Cameron Park and surrounding areas, on the days leading up to the arrest.
The voicemail messages he left were graphic and very violent in nature, and included threats of killing staff and children. Although the Sheriff’s office did not instruct schools to lock down, as a precaution a few preschools temporarily closed after receiving the threatening messages. Extra patrols were added around the schools, but no incidents were reported.
The El Dorado Sheriff’s office immediately started investigating the calls, which led to the arrest of Michael Sebastian McDermot of Orangevale, who was charged with making criminal threats. He was booked into the El Dorado County Jail, and his bail was set at $51,000.
The El Dorado Sheriff’s Office said they appreciated the cooperation of other agencies, including the Folsom Police Department and the Placerville Police Department, for their assistance in identifying and apprehending the suspect.
Available records show that McDermot had been living at the Waterford Place apartments in Folsom in 2013, and was arrested twice in September of that year. He was charged with driving under the influence, being under the influence of a controlled substance, and possession of marijuana while driving on September 11 by Folsom Police, who pulled him over on Blue Ravine Road. Two weeks later, on September 24, he was arrested for burglary and vandalism of $5,000 or more in damage.
