Authorities have tracked down the student believed responsible for setting off a firework at San Marcos High School on Monday, an action that prompted a lock-down on the campus near Goleta, which already was on edge due to previous incidents.
“The student was identified following the review of surveillance video of the incident and information gathered from students,” said Kelly Hoover, a spokeswoman for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
The student’s name is being withheld because he is a juvenile, Hoover added.
The case has been submitted to the county District Attorney’s Office, with a recommendation that the youth be charged with possession of a firework and discharging a firework in a manner to cause chaos, Hoover said.
It will be up to the District Attorney’s Office to decide whether any charges will be filed.
“The student also faces additional school disciplinary consequences pursuant to Santa Barbara Unified School District board policy and California Education Code,” Hoover noted.
San Marcos High, at 4750 Hollister Ave, has experienced recent incidents of threatening graffiti and online threats, prompting an increased law-enforcement presence on campus.
“The crime was committed during a time when there was a heightened sense of fear following recent threats of a school shooting on campus,” Hoover said.
Hoover additionally stressed that “pranks such as this one not only require a large amount of resources to ensure the safety of the campus and the students, but also put the safety of first responders and the public at risk as they respond to these perceived emergencies.”
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.