Police: Threatening Twitter Posts Against Rocklin Schools Leads To 3 Arrests
ROCKLIN (CBS13) – Police say they have arrested an 18-year-old and two juveniles for threats they allegedly made against Whitney and Rocklin high schools.
The arrests are not related to the anonymous Instagram account that had some parents worried about possible violence at Whitney High School. Thursday's arrests stem from threats posted on Twitter, Rocklin Police say.
Police say the Twitter postings threatened gun violence against the two Rocklin schools. Investigators, following leads through other social media outlets, were able to identify three suspects in the Twitter postings. Late Thursday night, officers were soon at three different houses, arresting 18-year-old Justin Herrmann and two unidentified juveniles.
Most students learned about the arrests when they came to school Friday morning.
"I'm a little freaked out, but when I saw the police officers waiting outside it kind of reassures me," senior Sarah Greenlaw said.
Beefed up police patrols were present around all Rocklin schools Friday.
"I wasn't too worried in the first place. I mean, a lot of rumors go around in high school," senior Brady Bellini said.
Herrman faces charges of making criminal threats through a third party and obstructing a police investigation. The two juveniles face charges of annoying electronic communications and criminal threats.
"This cooperative investigation highlights the outstanding working relationship between the Rocklin Police Department and the Rocklin Unified School District. We are fortunate to have fast-acting school administrators, and dedicated police professionals working together to keep our youth safe in Rocklin," said Rocklin Chief of Police Ron Lawrence in a statement.
Police also credit search warrants that helped them work with internet service providers to find the IP addresses of the suspect's computers.
The specific threats have not been divulged by investigators. Police will only say that there were multiple gun-related posts.
