Santa Maria Police determine social media threat against high school to be non-credible Thursday

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – Police with the Santa Maria Police Department contacted several students and retrieved an air-soft gun while investigating a potential threat against Pioneer Valley High School Wednesday evening.

According to SMPD, investigators determined there was no credible threat against the school after an investigation and issued a press release about the incident Thursday morning.

On Wednesday, around 10:30 p.m., the Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) was contacted by multiple callers about a social media post threatening Pioneer Valley High School state SMPD.

Administrators also contacted law enforcement and officers were able to contact several students and conduct searches while investigating the threat explain SMPD.

An air-soft gun photographed and shared in the social media post was recovered state SMPD.

In response to media inquiries, Santa Maria Joint Union High School District (SMJUHSD) issued the following statement:

Late last night, PVHS was made aware of a threatening social media post involving the school. SMPD was immediately contacted to investigate. Police quickly located four juveniles who were allegedly responsible for the post. The police determined there is no threat to the school and all Panther families and school staff have been notified. The SMJUHSD takes all social media posts of this nature very seriously and the safety of our students and staff is our top priority. Police contact the SMPD for any additional information.

– Kenny Klein, SMJUHSD Public Information Officer