Police release details on school threat

Parents of SMS student notified school officials

Porterville Police Department is commending the quick actions of the family of a Sequoia Middle School student who threatened violence at his school Tuesday.

A press release issued Wednesday morning by PPD gave additional details about the incident.

Tuesday morning at about 9:40 a.m. Porterville Police school resource officers were alerted to a possible threat at Sequoia Middle School.

Officers responded to the school and contacted school officials, who reported a 14-year-old student made threats via text message.

The investigation revealed that a family member of the suspect located a text message he sent to another student on Sunday, Feb. 18 stating he (the suspect) was going to shoot up his school, but saying later in the message that he was “just kidding.”

PPD Sgt. Brian Nix said they do not know who the recipient of the text message was at this time.

The suspect's mother brought him to the school to report the text to school officials, who in turn notified the police department.

Officers contacted the suspect and ultimately arrested him

for criminal threats and later booked him into the Tulare County Juvenile Detention Facility.

Nix said it was great involvement by the parents to make the student responsible for his actions.

Officers are still actively investigating this incident, and anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the Porterville Police Department at 782-7400.