Authorities prevented a potential threat involving two schools and recovered a pair of explosive devices during a multi-day investigation of a juvenile in the Orcutt area, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation began Aug. 18, when deputies received a report that a male juvenile had made concerning statements about harming others, Raquel Zick, Sheriff’s Office public information officer, said Wednesday.
Over the following several days, the Sheriff’s Office Behavioral Sciences Unit Crisis Intervention Teams and detectives worked closely with the juvenile’s family, mental health professionals and school administrators to assess the potential threat.
Deputies reviewed the juvenile’s online activity and conducted a search of the residence, Zick said. Authorities did not reveal the location of the residence.
“During that search, investigators located two explosive devices and identified an online connection between the juvenile and another juvenile in Illinois who appeared to share similar concerning interests,” she added.
On Saturday, the Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad responded to the residence in the Orcutt area and safely recovered both explosive devices, Zick added.
A crisis team, also known as co-response, includes sheriff’s deputies as well as Behavioral Wellness clinicians collaborating to support people dealing with a mental health crisis.
For this case, the CIT worked with the youth’s family and health care providers to ensure that the juvenile was connected with appropriate intervention services.
“The investigation also benefited from a CIT deputy who is cross-trained as a bomb technician, providing expertise across both the behavioral-health and public-safety components of the case,” Zick said.
Law enforcement officers in Illinois were notified of the online connection identified by Santa Barbara County deputies. Investigators determined that the Illinois youth did not present an actionable threat.
Administrators at the appropriate schools were notified of the investigation, Zick said, declining to identify the schools.
This incident is separate from another school-related threat also involving an Orcutt campus, Zick said.
For that incident, deputies investigated a social media post threatening a shooting at Orcutt Academy High School and determined that the juvenile responsible did not have the means to carry out the threat, she said Saturday.
In the case revealed this week, Zick said that based on the information developed and the early containment of the potential threat, the Sheriff’s Office did not recommend that the schools involved initiate emergency safety protocols.
“This investigation illustrates the multifaceted nature of threat-assessment cases, which can involve potential criminal conduct, behavioral-health concerns and campus safety simultaneously,” Zick said.
The Sheriff’s Office works with schools, families and behavioral-health professionals to evaluate the circumstances and determine the appropriate response.
“In this case, intervention occurred before school safety protocols were necessary,” Zick added.
Because the investigation involved a juvenile, authorities did not release any identifying information about the youth.
The Sheriff’s Office takes all reports of threats involving schools seriously, she added.
“We also remind students, parents and community members that when they encounter threatening or suspicious content online, the best response is to report it, not repost it,” Zick added. “Sharing or reposting threatening content can spread fear, complicate an investigation and unnecessarily amplify harmful material.”
The FBI’s website to prevent mass violence offers more information steps to help keep communities safe at fbi.gov/how-we-investigate/prevent-mass-violence.