Ventura County high school student accused of falsely reporting gunman on campus

A Ventura County high school student was arrested on suspicion of making a false report about a gunman on campus, authorities said.

The 17-year-old Moorpark High School student, who has not been identified, made one anonymous report Wednesday about a possible armed person on school grounds through a system known as “WeTip,” according to Senerey De Los Santos, a public information officer for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

Two additional reports were made Thursday with “more specific information of the location of the firearm on the campus,” according to a sheriff’s office news release. Eventually, 10 deputies responded to the campus Thursday morning and determined there was no threat to the school, officials said.

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Investigators soon identified the student suspected of making the tips and arrested him on suspicion of falsely reporting an emergency. The teen is currently being held at the county’s juvenile justice center in Oxnard, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

De Los Santos said the tips did not identify a specific student or individual as the armed person, describing the tips as “vague.”

It was not clear if the teen had legal representation as of Friday afternoon.