Update: Hearing continued for suspect in San Gabriel incident 

Bret Stephen Landen posted bail and remains out of custody

–Bret Landen, an 18-year-old who will stand trial for charges of making threats against San Gabriel Elementary School on Sept. 11 of 2015, went before San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Judge Jackie Duffy Monday morning for further arraignment.

Landen addressed the judge along with his attorney, Jeffrey Stein. Stein requested that the arraignment be continued until March to give the attorney, who’s newly representing Landen, time to look at a way to address the case.

“In recognition of how much distress this incident has caused the community, [we want] to move forward sensitively,” Stein said. “We’re looking at ways to contribute positively in regards to the case.”

Opposing counsel agreed to the continuance and Duffy continued the arraignment until Tuesday, March 8.

Landen posted a $500,000 bail at the end of 2015, and will remain out of custody for the time being.

Complete report on the case from Dec. 16, 2015:

Suspect in threats against school identified as Bret Stephen Landen

Judge rules suspect charged with San Gabriel school incident be tried as an adult

–San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney Lee Cunningham released the name of a teen being charged with making threats against San Gabriel Elementary School on Sept. 11 that forced the school to close for two weeks.

On Tuesday, Cunningham reports that Judge Jackie Duffy ruled that the suspect, 18-year-old Bret Stephen Landen, be tried as an adult. Landen was 17-years-old at the time of the alleged crimes.

Landen, appeared to have been conducting a sort of, “game” with the teachers, much like the movie “Saw.” Police said the  suspect’s actions appear to have been designed to evoke fear and panic. There were initially two charges being pressed against the suspect, both related to threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction. He is now facing as many as 25 counts.

The case against Landen went before juvenile court Tuesday for a “fitness hearing” to determine if he is fit to be tried in juvenile court or adult court. “The case started out in juvenile court, because the person charged with it was just shy of his 18th birthday,” Cunningham said.

In order to determine which court the defendant should be tried in, the judge considered the following five criteria:

1. The degree of criminal sophistication exhibited
2. Whether the minor can be rehabilitated before juvenile court jurisdiction expires
3. The minor’s previous delinquency history
4. The success of previous attempts by the juvenile court to rehabilitate the minor
5. The circumstances and gravity of the offenses alleged to have been committed by the minor

Cunningham said that it is anticipated that felony charges against Landen are expected to be filed on Wednesday and include 25 counts of criminal threats, two counts of threat to use a weapon of mass destruction, two counts of attempted criminal threats, and two counts of second-degree burglary.

Brooks is set for arraignment in SLO Superior Court in Department 4 with Duffy on Friday, Dec. 18. His bail has been set at $500,000 and he is currently in juvenile hall custody.

At approximately 7:45 a.m. on Sept. 11, police received a report of a crime committed at San Gabriel Elementary. Between the evening of Sept. 10 and the morning of Sept. 11, chains and padlocks were placed on the exterior gates of the campus, threatening letters were placed outside of each classroom and a suspicious object full of liquid was found on the playground. The object was a candle jar with the wax removed and a different liquid put in, and was zip-tied to a fence. The accompanying note identified the liquid as “cyanide.” After testing, the liquid was found to be sodium ferrocyanide, a common chemical used in photo processing, mixed with a mildly acidic liquid that was not strong enough to emit cyanide gas; it would only be harmful if ingested, police said.

The school was closed immediately and classes relocated to other campuses in Atascadero for two weeks.

According to Police Chief Jerel Haley at a press conference in October, Landen was believed to have acted alone.

 

Complete report on the case from Oct. 15, 2015:

More details released in San Gabriel School incident including content of threatening letter, objects found on playground

– A press conference was held today in Atascadero regarding the arrest of a 17-year-old local high school student who is a suspect in the investigation surrounding the San Gabriel School incident that happened on Sept. 11. Threats and objects found on the playground forced the school to close for over a week.

According to Police Chief Jerel Haley, the suspect was believed to have acted alone. He is currently in custody and is being detained at the County’s Juvenile Detention Facility.

More details were released regarding the incident, such as the contents of the letters that were placed at the doorways of each teacher’s classrooms, pictured below. The suspect appeared to have been conducting a sort of, “game” with the teachers, much like the movie Saw, and the suspects actions appear to have been designed to evoke fear and panic, according to Haley.

The contents of the suspicious object found on the playground were also described in more detail. The object was a candle jar, with the wax removed and a different liquid put in, and it was zip-tied to a fence. There was a note found nearby by the suspect identifying the liquid as “cyanide.” The liquid put it was found to be sodium ferrocyanide, a common chemical used in photo processing, mixed with a mildly acidic liquid that was not strong enough to emit cyanide gas, and would only be harmful if ingested.

It is unclear now as to whether the suspect will be tried as an adult of as a juvenile. The search warrants issued proved to be successful, and the investigation is still ongoing. Officers found items that connected the suspect to the crime in the search. The investigation was able to nail down a suspect by tracking purchase histories of items used to commit the crime.

There are currently two charges being pressed against the suspect. Both charges are related to use of a “facsimile” or replica, weapon of mass destruction. Haley reiterated the fact that no additional hazardous materials were found on the campus, and at no time was there believed to be a bomb on the school campus.

Haley said that even with 25 plus years on the force, “this is the most complex case I’ve seen.” He said that he was very proud of all of the officers who worked on the case in a timely and efficient manner, and praised the school and all involved for their swift and effective response to the evacuation of the school.

 

Original story posted Oct. 14, 12:30 p.m.

Search warrants served at juvenile suspect’s home

– Earlier today, the Atascadero Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigations, San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office and San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Department participated jointly in the service of search warrants related to the Sept. 11 incident at San Gabriel School in Atascadero, according to a report from the school.

This has been an active ongoing investigation since the incident was first discovered. The investigation has been a joint effort between the Atascadero Police Department, FBI and SLO County District Attorney’s Investigators. During the course of the investigation a juvenile suspect was identified. Evidence uncovered as part of this investigation corroborated the involvement of the juvenile suspect in the commission of the crime. The juvenile suspect was contacted and interviewed on this date prior to the service of the search warrants.

On the morning of Sept. 11 at approximately 7:45 a.m., police received a report of a crime committed at San Gabriel Elementary. It appears that on the night of Sept. 10 or the early morning of Sept. 11 there were chains and padlocks placed on the exterior gates of the campus by an unknown suspect, as well as threatening letters placed outside of each classroom. A suspicious object full of liquid was also found on the playground.

The Atascadero Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigations and San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office will hold a press briefing today at 3 p.m. at the Atascadero Police Department, located at 5505 El Camino Real, to answer questions related to the investigation and provide further details about this case. Updates will be posted.