A former Mater Dei High School employee who authorities said sent a threat to the Catholic school that forced its closure will likely not face criminal charges, police said Wednesday evening.
Santa Ana police determined that the threat was ”credible” and was not directed at students. According to Santa Ana Police Department Sgt. Maria Lopez, police closed the threat case as of Wednesday.
“We’ve conducted our investigation and at the moment we’re not going to be making an arrest,” Lopez told The Orange County Register. “I don’t think there’s anything further that our detectives are going to be doing.”
On Wednesday, a message was sent to students and parents informing them of the school’s decision to re-open its offices, including athletics, counseling, and activities on Thursday because ”the threat has been dealt with according to appropriate law enforcement procedures”, ‘ according to published reports.
On Friday, students will have the option to meet with teachers or counselors if needed.
The school was slated to be closed until next week.
School officials learned about the threat Tuesday and sent a message to parents about the threat that afternoon.
“Wednesday, we learned of a credible threat to the Mater Dei campus and contacted the Santa Ana Police Department,” said the note from Mater Dei President Michael Brennan and Principal Frances Clare.
“Safety and sweep protocols were implemented,” the officials said. “We acknowledge the alarming nature of this message; however, we at Mater Dei take all threats made to the school seriously.”
Police did not identify the former employee or disclose details about the threat and who it was addressed to or how it was sent. further details about the threat, how it was sent and whether it was aimed at anyone in particular were not disclosed.