LAGUNA HILLS, Calif.—A man has been arrested for allegedly making a series of threats involving Laguna Hills High School, authorities said June 5.
Eugene Thomas Jenkins, 29, was arrested Saturday in the city of San Rafael and was booked into the Orange County Jail on suspicion of crimes including criminal threats, false report of a bomb, and false report of an emergency, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
According to the sheriff’s department, the threats began in December 2022 and were directed toward school staff and students following a championship football game.
“These threats spanned through June 2023, and included three false reports of a possible shooter approaching the school’s campus, a bomb threat, a death threat via telephone, and at least 10 known death threats via written letter utilizing the United States Postal Service,” a statement from the sheriff’s department said.
“Two of these threats targeted Laguna Hills High School’s Senior Graduation Ceremony on Thursday, June 1,” the statement said.
“The Orange County Sheriff’s Department responded to all the threats listed above in real-time and with the conviction of each threat being an actual and imminent emergency response,” the department said. “Additional security measures were utilized for the safety of the community during the graduation ceremony. To date, there are at least 14 victims involved in these crimes.”
Detectives from the sheriff’s department coordinated their investigation with personnel from agencies including the FBI, the Orange County District Attorney’s office, the San Rafael Police Department, the Marin County Sheriff’s Department, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information on the case was urged to call the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at 714-647-7000. Anonymous information may be provided through Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS.
