Hollister Police, FBI Make Arrest in Bomb Threat Case
Suspect is from out of State
HOLLISTER—The Hollister Police Department has made contact with the suspect that allegedly called the San Benito High School for several days and left threat messages. The caller was from out-of-state and the investigation is still on going.
San Benito High School
“At first it was theorized that it was just a student that did not want to take a final,” Hollister Police Chief David Westrick said, ”but that doesn’t mean we took it lightly.”
On December 3, at about 3:30 p.m., San Benito High School received a phone message that stated that there was a bomb in one of the bathrooms located on campus. The school immediately went on lockdown.
Staff at the school evacuated the remaining students and personnel that remained at the school. Authorities searched the school but no explosive devices were located.
On December 4, at 9:20 a.m. the school received another phone call from the same person. He advised that there was a bomb on campus and he threatened to detonate it.
Agencies from the surrounding area responded to the high school and assisted the school staff in locking down the school. Authorities ordered a systematic search of the common area of the campus.
“We assigned people in different areas of the school and searched the entire campus,” Chief Westrick added.
Hollister Police worked in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to identify a suspect in this case. The suspect was located in the State of Michigan. Michigan authorities have interviewed the suspect and he has provided them with a statement.
The suspect’s identity will not be released at this time due to the ongoing investigation. The suspect is cooperating with authorities and it appears that the students were never in any danger of an explosive device.
“Taking some positives from this incident – it allowed us to see how we responded to the incident with both us and the school,” Chief Westrick said. “It allowed both agencies to review their procedures and see how we can improve on them.”
Read More:
KSBW: Hollister School Bomb-Threat Maker Found in Michigan
KION: Police Identify Suspect who Allegedly Made Bomb Threats
This is an ongoing investigation and the Hollister Police Department is expected to release more information on the investigation sometime next week
