Police: Armed student arrested after trespassing on Santa Rosa middle school campus

A 14-year-old Hilliard Comstock Middle School student was arrested Wednesday after going onto another campus while carrying a knife, police said.

The student, whose name wasn’t released, was detained at about 9:30 a.m. at Herbert Slater Middle School, according to the Santa Rosa Police Department.

The campuses are on opposite ends of the city and separated by about 5 miles.

In a notification sent to parents and staff Wednesday, Herbert Slater Principal Ryan Partika said the boy was never in “close proximity” to students, neither were students ever in danger.

“We want to assure you that the safety and security of our students and staff remain our utmost priority,” Partika said in his statement. “The quick and coordinated response from our staff, coupled with the immediate involvement of law enforcement, ensured that our students were never in any danger.”

The incident occurred hours before Wednesday night’s Santa Rosa City Schools Board meeting, where hundreds of people are expected to call for safety improvements across the district.

Concerns about school safety skyrocketed following the March 1 fatal stabbing that took place inside a Montgomery High School classroom during a fight between students.

Last month, a Sonoma County Juvenile Court judge ruled that Daniel Pulido — the former Montgomery freshman who’d been accused of fatally stabbing 16-year-old junior Jayden Pienta who had attacked him during an art class — was not responsible for the killing.

The judge did, however, hold Pulido responsible for having a weapon on campus. He is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday morning.

Since the killing, safety concerns on Santa Rosa City Schools campuses have intensified with the continued reports across the district of campus fights and the arrests of armed students.

Prior to Wednesday’s incident, three students were arrested on Dec. 7 following a classroom altercation at Herbert Slater, which was briefly locked down in response.

The next day, Herbert Slater teachers and students called in sick and rallied in support of improved campus safety conditions.

According to authorities, Santa Rosa Police officer Luigi Valencia was assisting a Herbert Slater student who had suffered a mental health crisis when school administrators reported an unidentified boy on campus.

The boy had entered from Carly Road after breaking through a gate on the east side of Herbert Slater’s campus, Partika said in his statement.

Police say a physical education teacher approached the boy and alerted school officials.

He walked away from the PE teacher and another staffer followed him off campus onto Sonoma Avenue before Valencia showed up to assist.

The boy had a folding knife and was arrested on suspicion of having a weapon on school grounds, according to police.

Investigators said the boy is associated with a street gang but there is no indication his affiliation played a role in his decision to go to Herbert Slater.

He also did not brandish the knife during the incident, officials said.

Valencia was on campus as an interim school resource officer, according to the Santa Rosa Police Department, which touted his presence as one of the reasons for the incident’s quick resolution.

Over the weekend, Santa Rosa City Schools Supt. Anna Trunnell announced the daily return of police officers to campuses through the end of the year in response to growing safety concerns.

According to Trunnell, police officers would be stationed at each of the city’s high schools. They also would check in with officials at the middle schools.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi