February 25 and is now in custody at the Merced County Jail. Classes and events were held on Monday without interruption. According to Merced County District Attorney, Larry Morse, the suspect was arrested by the Merced Police Department and charged with making terroristic threats (Penal Code 422). Charges have been forwarded to the DA’s office for evaluation.
Merced College President, Chris Vitelli, applauded the cooperation between alert citizens, law enforcement and the college. “The safety of our students, faculty and the entire Merced community is always our top priority,” said Vitelli. “I want to thank those people who were monitoring social media for being proactive and alerting the authorities. The situation was circumvented because people were paying attention and took action. I appreciate the swift and collaborative efforts of the Merced City PD in appropriately responding to this serious safety concern.”
There are no additional known threats to the campus, however Merced College campus police will have an increasing presence in light of this situation. With over 15,000 students, Merced College was founded in 1962 and encompasses over 267 acres.
Source: Merced College
Related Information: ABC 30