Man with Gun Sends Vieja Valley School Into Lockdown

http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/092409_lockdown_lifted_at_vieja_valley_school_after_manhunt/

By William M. Macfadyen, Noozhawk Publisher |

He admits carrying an unloaded shotgun from his vehicle to his home; no arrests have been made

Vieja Valley School was locked down for about an hour Thursday morning while authorities searched for a man reportedly carrying “a large gun” near the campus at 434 Nogal Drive.

Sheriff’s Department spokesman Drew Sugars said deputies were dispatched at 7:18 a.m. to Modoc Road and Hollister Avenue after a passerby reported a man walking along Modoc Road with a rifle.

The school went into lockdown about 7:45 a.m., and the search continued, with multiple patrol units on the ground and the sheriff’s helicopter from the air, Sugars said. Santa Barbara police, the California Highway Patrol, UCSB police and Santa Barbara County Fire assisted.

About 8:30 a.m., deputies contacted a man who fit the description of the suspect, Sugars said. During the interview, the man confirmed he had carried one of his unloaded shotguns from his vehicle to his nearby home.

At this time, there have been no arrests.

Residents near the school, off Modoc Road in Hope Ranch annex, received a reverse 9-1-1 call informing them to lock their doors and remain in their homes, said Noozhawk contributor Leslie Dinaberg, a Vieja Valley parent.

The school’s lockdown was lifted about 9:20 a.m.

— Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk.

http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/092409_lockdown_lifted_at_vieja_valley_school_after_manhunt/