On Wednesday, March 28, 2018, at approximately 0928 hours, SHASCOM dispatch center received a report of a subject with a gun on the campus of Mountain Lakes High School, 17752 Shasta Dam Boulevard, in the City of Shasta Lake. The caller was a family member of the alleged suspect, identified as 18 year old Jacob Ahern, a resident of Shasta Lake. The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office was familiar with Ahern, as he was reported as a suspect the previous day in the theft of a handgun from a family member (SCSO Case#18-10027).
The information received by SHASCOM was immediately relayed to Shasta County Sheriff’s Office patrol units and Mountain Lakes High School was placed on “lockdown” status. Within three minutes of the call being broadcasted, three Shasta County Sheriff’s Office deputies with the City of Shasta Lake Patrol Division arrived on scene. Immediate contact was made with school officials. It was learned Ahern was not on the campus and had not been enrolled as a student at the school for an extended period of time. As a precautionary measure, deputies tactically cleared the campus and the “lockdown” status at the school was then lifted.
Immediate follow-up investigation was conducted in an attempt to locate Ahern and/or the handgun. During this time, Ahern learned through family members the Sheriff’s Office was actively seeking to contact him. Upon learning this information, Ahern ultimately returned to the family member’s residence where he originally stole the handgun. Ahern had the handgun in his possession and returned the handgun to the family member. Contact was made with Ahern and after interview, he was arrested for the theft of the handgun.
Based on all information gathered during the investigation and subsequent interview with Ahern, any and all information regarding Ahern being at Mountain Lakes High School with the handgun, or having any intention of committing any act of school violence, was found to be erroneous misinformation provided by the reporting party.
