Deputies investigate possible threat
ORCUTT — Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies responded Tuesday to a possible threat at St. Joseph’s High School, but soon determined there was no danger.
The deputies responded at approximately 7:22 a.m. at the Orcutt school. School administrators had reported a possible threat that they learned was circulating on social media and was traced back to a verbal exchange between students.
Deputies from the Santa Maria substation responded to the threat along with the Righetti High School school resource deputy. As deputies worked to determine the source and credibility of the threat, they asked that students be kept off the school campus and that anyone already on campus shelter in place.
At 8:02 a.m., deputies contacted a student who was involved and quickly determined that the student was not in danger. Deputies worked to unravel the background story of the threat as well as checking the physical security of St. Joseph’s and Righetti’s campuses.
Deputies ultimately determined that the original incident was a verbal exchange between students that had inaccurately been relayed into a threat of violence on campus.
— Katherine Zehnder
Criminal activity down on Halloween
ISLA VISTA — Criminal activity continued its downward trend last Halloween in this college community.
There were two arrests Friday in Isla Vista, both for outstanding warrants, and there were no arrests Saturday and Sunday, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
There were nine citations issued Friday and eight issued Saturday, Raquel Zick, the public information officer, said.
Four of the citations issued were alcohol-related, and the remainder of the citations were traffic-related.
— Katherine Zehnder
