Suspect Was Released To His Parents
The Hollister Police have made an arrest in the September incident in which someone wrote on numerous places at the Marguerite Maze Middle School that a bomb will explode on the campus. Police arrested a 12-year-old juvenile for making those threats.
On Wednesday, September 23, Marguerite Maze Middle School personnel discovered that someone had written in several locations on the campus, including a bathroom wall, that a bomb will explode there. Several Hollister Police personnel, along with several members of the school’s staff, conducted an extensive search of the campus to insure the safety of the students.
Neither the police nor school personnel were able to locate an explosive device. Security at the school remained tight during the week, requiring additional manpower from the police department.
Jason Keith Smith was convicted in the 2012 case.
After the incident, San Benito County School Resource Officer Michael Paddy began an investigation into who may have written the very serious graffiti on the campus. This incident is the second of its kind to occur in the Hollister School District in recent memory. In 2012, a man called in multiple bomb threats to San Benito High School in Hollister that caused the whole school to be placed on lock down. Jason Keith Smith of Michigan was eventually arrested and convicted of the crime. He was sentenced to 14 months in prison.
Officer Paddy began his investigation into this latest incident by interviewing several students and their parents with the help of school administration. With evidence obtained from the interviews, Officer Paddy came up with a 12-year-old suspect in the case.
He was subsequently arrested on October 6, and released to his parents with a citation for making false bomb threat. The Hollister School District made a statement about the incident. “We take all threats seriously, and will always take immediate action to ensure the safety of our students and staff.” Hollister School District Superintendent Gary McIntire said, “The district would like to thank all members of our community who assisted in the investigation that solved this incident.”
Read More: CrimeVoice – Michigan man sentenced in bomb threat case
