Capt. Dave Gutierrez of the Menifee Police Department said that shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday, administrators at Paloma Valley High School contacted police because a disturbing social media post had surfaced specifically mentioning “Paloma Valley.”
Gutierrez said a picture included with the message showed “two apparent firearms,” prompting detectives to hunt down the source of the post. After several hours, the investigation pointed to a 20-year-old resident who is familiar to law enforcement for past incidents of a similar nature, according to the captain.
“After interviewing the female, detectives determined they lacked the legal (grounds) to make a criminal arrest,” Gutierrez said.
He said the matter would be referred to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office in the hope that the woman “can be held accountable and receives needed services.”
The captain said social media posts suggesting or proclaiming imminent threats of violence are growing in number, and the police department takes them seriously.
“All threats, whether specific, implied, or otherwise, that cause fear in our community will not be tolerated,” he said.
Gutierrez further emphasized that people who spot such messages should not repost the details because circulating “unsubstantiated information is not helpful to an investigation and causes an increased amount of fear and anxiety.”