Officials: Schools in Sonoma, Napa counties locked down after apparent hoax

At least two schools in Sonoma and Napa counties were placed on lockdown Wednesday afternoon after what officials are calling a hoax.

Santa Rosa Police Department officers responded to an active shooter call at Maria Carrillo High School at 12:30 p.m. A subsequent news release stated all available resources responded to the school and ultimately confirmed the call was a hoax.

The school was placed on lockdown while police searched the premises and then allowed to reopen once it was determined to be safe.

As Santa Rosa police looked into that incident, St. Helena High School and Primary School in Napa County were also placed on lockdown Wednesday afternoon.

St. Helena Police Department issued a Nixle alert at 2:02 p.m. saying the lockdown was cleared and the roads were reopened.

An alert from the department just after 1 p.m. asked that the public avoid the area around the schools’ Grayson Avenue campus.

An official with the Napa County Sheriff’s Office told The Press Democrat at the time that it “could be a fake lockdown,” but had no further information and the St. Helena Police Department said it only had one person available for dispatch and couldn’t speak to media.

At 12:49 p.m. Wednesday, Healdsburg police received a “suspicious call,” similar to those received in Santa Rosa and St. Helena. The caller reported a shooting at Healdsburg High School, officials said in a post on the police department’s official Facebook page.

Sgt. Kristin Dean said officers responded to the call in 62 seconds and quickly determined the call was fake, avoiding a school lockdown.