Half-dozen bomb scares rattle Davis library and schools. Here’s a timeline of recent threats
A half-dozen scares in the form of bomb threats against Davis schools and a county library have besieged Yolo County for more than a month, as authorities continue their investigation into the threats and have yet to make any arrests.
Tuesday drew Fairfield Elementary School into the crosshairs, as the school delayed its start times for about an hour after receiving emailed bomb threats. The message contained anti-LGBTQ language, said Davis Police Department spokesman Lt. Dan Beckwith.
The repeated incidents happened after a Yolo County library employee told a Moms for Liberty speaker in August to leave during an event after the speaker reportedly referred to trans women as “biological males.” Video clips posted of the ensuing dispute were posted to social media platforms including X, formerly known as Twitter, where some of the clips were viewed more than 1 million times in the following few days.
Davis police said in a statement there is no evidence linking local residents and the threats, but that the “correlation between the two cannot be ignored as part of the overall criminal investigations.”
Davis police said officers were collaborating with the FBI to investigate the threats. The FBI declined to comment in what capacity it’s helping with the investigation, saying its long standing policy has been to neither confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.
Fairfield Elementary School referred comments to Davis Joint Unified School District public information officers, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The head of the Yolo County Library system referred questions about their well-being to the Yolo County’s public information officer, who declined to make librarians available because he sought to prioritize the safety and well-being of employees and patrons “during this sensitive time.”
“The County of Yolo unequivocally condemns hate crimes and incidents that have cast their shadows over our vibrant community,” said Dwight Coddington, a Yolo County spokesman, in a statement. “Yolo County supports a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community, where understanding and kindness are exemplified and compassion, respect, and empathy are the cornerstones.
“We want to reassure everyone who calls Yolo County home that our community will continue its dedication to justice and cohesiveness. We must recognize that as a community, we stand stronger when united and that our commitment to fostering an environment that values and respects everyone will not waver. Hate crimes and incidents have no place in Yolo County.”
Here is a timeline of the recent threats, according to The Sacramento Bee’s coverage. All of the recent threats were accompanied by anti-LGBTQ hate speech, law enforcement officials have said.
Aug. 21
The Mary L. Stephens branch of the Yolo County Library system was targeted with a bomb threat in a note filled with anti-LGBTQ hate speech. Nearby North Davis Elementary School was evacuated. Students were not yet attending classes, as the Davis Joint Unified academic year was not scheduled to start until Aug. 22.
Aug. 25
The Davis library received another bomb threat late Friday, according to law enforcement.
Aug. 28
The Davis library had to be evacuated after a message warned of a bomb. Students at nearby North Davis Elementary and Davis Senior High School were briefly ordered to shelter in place, according to the school district.
Wednesday
Davis and Yolo County authorities cleared bomb threats sent in an email to Cesar Chavez Elementary, Oliver Wendell Homes Junior High and Davis Senior High. The Davis library was also once again targeted, authorities said.
Monday
Martin Luther King Jr. High School, North Davis Elementary, Birch Lane Elementary and the Davis School for Independent Study, as well as the Davis library once again, received an email threatening a bomb would explode. The schools started late, and the threat was ultimately cleared.
Tuesday
Fairfield Elementary, the oldest public school in the district, started about one hour late from its normal start time after an emailed bomb threat targeted the school. There was no bomb found by police.
