Willits High student in custody after threat; heightened fears prompt late night social media panic

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WILLITS, CA., 2/22/18 — Willits High School experienced a school-shooting scare overnight when rumors began to spread on social media that a student at Willits High School had made threats related to a possible school shooting. Those rumors were confirmed in a Facebook post made by Willits Unified School District Superintendent Mark Westerburg around 10pm. In a follow-up post made this morning, Westerburg stated that the student who had made the threats had been taken into custody by the Willits Police Department, though he noted that Willits High will remain on high alert today, “to show the seriousness of any situation like this and to show students we are 100% dedicated to their safety.”

The Willits Police Department also confirmed in a Facebook post, made around 7am, that the student had made a threatening comment, “not a direct threat, just some words that were of great concern,” and would be in custody “for some time.” Superintendent Westerburg told The Mendocino Voice in a phone call around 8:30am that the student had made the statements while in class and had left the school of his own accord, during school hours, before being found and taken into custody by the WPD. Said Westerburg, “The student made some comments in a classroom, but didn’t threaten the teacher or the students in any way, the student left the premises on their own.”