BREAKING: San Benito CISD on lockdown (UPDATE 2)

By HEATHER CATHLEEN COX
Staff Writer
Reporter@sbnewspaper.com

UPDATE: As of 11:30 a.m. the lockdown has been lifted.

UPDATE 2: Story updated Friday, 6:43 p.m.

Schools within the San Benito Consolidated Independent School District were on lockdown Friday until 11:27 a.m. after the San Benito Police Department received a phone call from an unidentified male, stating that another male was threatening to open gunfire at one or more local schools.

“It started roughly about 9 a.m.,” said San Benito Police Chief of Operations Martin Morales. “We got a call to the PD about a male that was making threats that he was going to come shoot at the school, somewhere around the school. He said that if law enforcement interfered, he was going to shoot at us as well,” said Morales.

The department took immediate action. “In coordination with the school … we worked together … to come up with a game plan,” said Morales.

Primary action, said the chief, was “all schools being placed on lockdown (while gathering) intel as to why this person would want to make that kind of threat.”

SBCISD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marc Puig confirmed, “The district implemented a “soft lockdown” at 11:07 a.m. and the lockdown was finally lifted at 11:27 a.m.”

San Benito Mayor Celeste Sanchez said, “We take every threat seriously. The safety and security of our children and our citizens is foremost.”

In a statement released by SBPD, officials said SBPD “summoned all available resources coordinating with SBCISD Police Department as well as surrounding agencies, and federal partners. The Investigation led us to a location on US 281 where contact was made with family members of the person of interest. The family members were interviewed, and a consensual search was done on the residence.”

The person of interest was located in the Pleasanton, Texas area. No Criminal Charges have been filed at this time, and the incident is still under investigation.

Updates will follow as further details become available.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.sbnewspaper.com/2015/01/16/breaking-san-benito-cisd-on-lockdown/

2 comments

    • Juan on January 21, 2015 at 9:02 am
    • Reply

    One of the quickest ways of transmitting a code red alert would be through the web site.the morning this happened the San Benito school web site continued to have the announcement that there would be no school the coming Monday,nothing even about the lockdown and code red alert till around 11:00 Am,that morning.With all the tax monies collected and all the blow about the schools IT department.I would have figured that the web site would have been the first place to look for information,get your heads out of the sand school administrators &,staff.You all have cushy jobs,now do something for what we pay you for,we want our moneys worth.

    • concerned parent on January 16, 2015 at 1:02 pm
    • Reply

    Kudos to Chief SR Garcia, his staff, the SBPD, Teachers, Principasl and staff
    for a job well done. It’s good to kown our kids are their top priority.

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