On January 20, Rancho Viejo Middle School in Hemet and North Mountain Middle School and Mountain View High School in San Jacinto received threats of an explosive device from an unknown phone number. The caller in each of the phone threats appeared to be the same person and made similar threats to each school, according to the Riverside Sheriff’s Department.
The schools were placed on lockdown and additional law enforcement resources were deployed to ensure the safety of the students and staff, officials said. After a security search was conducted, each school was deemed safe and the lockdowns were lifted.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Hemet Investigations Bureau began an immediate follow-up investigation and located digital evidence that was traced back to a juvenile subject who resides in the city of San Jacinto, officials said. The subject was located and no bomb-making materials or firearms were located.
The Sheriff’s Department said it is confident this investigation revealed this was an isolated incident and there are no pending threats to public safety. This case was forwarded to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration.
