Juvenile arrested after weapons, ski masks found during patrol at MVHS

By Sara Beth Williams–
Citrus Heights Police on Friday announced the arrest of a juvenile during a proactive patrol at Mesa Verde High School.

The juvenile male was found loitering on the closed campus with two other juveniles around 2 a.m. on July 14, according to police officials who spoke with The Sentinel Monday morning. Officers encountered the group and found multiple weapons and ski masks inside a bag carried by one juvenile, who was subsequently arrested and booked into Juvenile Hall.

The arrest comes a little over a month after the campus’s new stadium was vandalized in the early morning hours of June 10. According to the police, vandals damaged multiple storage containers, a shed, and the concession stand.

Mesa Verde Varsity Football Head Coach Leonard Casillas told The Sentinel on Tuesday that vandals struck again, broke into the team’s equipment room and stole numerous items. Sometime over last weekend, the field’s turf was also damaged by dirt bikes, according to Casillas and other staff.

To combat night-time vandalism, San Juan Unified School District Communication Director Raj Rai said previously that the district employs a Maintenance and Operations Department dispatcher who monitors campus cameras during overnight hours, and the district regularly coordinates calls with Citrus Heights Police regarding local suspicious activities on campuses.

Police said the proactive patrol at the high school last week is part of an effort to “maintain a visible presence on campus during summer break.”