Boy, 14, held in school threat case

A 14-year-old Carpinteria High School student is in Juvenile Hall in Santa Barbara after he allegedly threatened to kill other students and a teacher, authorities said.

The ninth-grade boy was taken into custody Saturday after one of his alleged victims told investigators that the youth had threatened to bring a handgun to school and shoot five students and one of his teachers.

No weapon was found on the boy or in his home, said Drew Sugars, a spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department. But detectives believed that the threat was credible and he was arrested, Sugars said.

He was booked on a single felony count of making a criminal threat. The suspect, who was not identified because of his age, had recently transferred to Carpinteria High from another school district.

-- Catherine Saillant