School board member detained in Tuolumne County for alleged threat to kill children
A school board member in Tuolumne County threatened to kill children and others in documents that also had “anti-government rantings,” an official said.
Jason Vassar, a trustee for the Belleview Elementary School District, was detained after the alleged threats, according to a Nov. 9 report from MyMotherLode.com. No charges have been filed.
The district has a single campus about six miles west of Twain Harte for students from preschool through eighth grade. The administration is looking into removing Vassar from the three-member board, the local news site reported.
The suspect continues to be held for a mental health evaluation, the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office said.
Superintendent/Principal Carmel Portilllo described the situation in an email to families and staff members. She said the documents were addressed to the district administration and the director of the Tuolumne Joint Powers Authority, which handles insurance for schools.
“The nature of the documents contained numerous statements of a concerning nature, namely, referencing threats to kill children, kill people, denigrate humans and incite violence, with distinct anti-government rantings,” Portillo wrote. “No statement, however, was directed towards any specific person or entity at Belleview, rather, the statements reference generalized acts that extend beyond the boundaries of the Belleview School District.”
The email added that the district obtained a temporary restraining order against Vassar. Portillo said the effort to remove him from the board “must adhere to specific processes to ensure school governance is conducted in a manner that best supports school safety.”
