Suspect Arrested for Falsely Reporting an Emergency 

May 18, 2024 – Ventura County Sheriff’s Office officials report that a Moorpark High School student was arrested for making several false reports of an emergency.

On May 16, 2024, the Moorpark High School Resource Officer was notified of an anonymous report from WeTip of a subject with a firearm on school grounds. WeTip is an anonymous reporting system that gives students and staff members a way to report incidents on school campuses. The School Resource Officer worked closely with school officials to thoroughly investigate the incident. Moorpark High School Administrators issued a “Shelter in Place” order for the campus while the threat was being investigated.

Additional law enforcement resources from the Moorpark Investigations Bureau, Moorpark Patrol, and Thousand Oaks Police - School Resource Officer Unit responded to Moorpark High School to assist with the investigation.

During the course of the investigation, two additional WeTip reports were received providing more specific information of the location of the firearm on the campus.  Deputies were present with school staff as they searched numerous classrooms and areas mentioned in the WeTip reports.  After thoroughly investigating the reports, it was determined there was no threat to the campus.

The investigation revealed the suspect who reported the fraudulent WeTip reports was a student at the school.  The student was contacted and additional evidence linking the student to the fraudulent reports was located.

The student was arrested for a violation of PC 148.3 – falsely reporting an emergency and was booked at the Ventura County Juvenile Justice Center in Oxnard.

The Moorpark Police Department maintains a close working relationship with the Moorpark Unified School District Administration and Staff (MUSD).  The Moorpark Police Department also strives to create strong bonds with the students and staff they serve, garner their trust, and develop strategies to maintain a safe learning environment for all who attend MUSD schools. The Moorpark Police Department strongly encourages students and staff members to continue using WeTip to report legitimate concerns. 

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to a $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime.  The caller may remain anonymous.  The call is not recorded.  Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

Source: Ventura County Sheriff’s Office