Ridgecrest Police Department Michael Scott, Chief of Police PREPARED BY: Captain A. Tucker–
On October 26, 2023, at about 2:45 PM, The Ridgecrest Police Department responded to James Monroe Middle School, located in the 300 block of W. Church Ave., regarding a bomb threat to the school written on a bathroom wall.
During the investigation, RPD Officers requested Kern County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad and K-9 Unit to respond and conduct a protective sniff to ensure no explosives were on campus. The search resulted in no explosives or suspicious items located on campus.
Officers and Detectives were able to identify several students as possible suspects. Officers and Detectives were able to contact the possible suspects and identified a 12-year-old juvenile to be responsible for the threats and vandalism.
The juvenile was arrested and transported to Juvenile Hall in Bakersfield, CA. The juvenile is being held at Juvenile Hall for the above-listed charges.
We want to remind all students and community members if they see something, they should say something. We encourage reporting of any suspicious activity or behavior immediately.
SSUSD uses the “STOPit” app and website https://appweb.stopitsolutions.com (https://appweb.stopitsolutions.com/login) to accept anonymous reports.
