A man with a prior history of making threats at a local high school was arrested once more after he was reportedly observed at an elementary school, breaching a court order. The Folsom Police Department was alerted to the situation shortly after 2 p.m. yesterday when Curt Taras, 53, was allegedly seen at Sandra J. Gallardo Elementary, according to KCRA. The school was hosting individuals for activities despite it being a non-student day.
While Taras had left the scene by the time law enforcement arrived, the Folsom Police conducted an investigation, which led to his identification and subsequent arrest for ignoring a court-ordered ban from district schools. The man had earlier been arrested on the campus of Folsom High School on September 24 for making threats, discovered with a knife in his possession and a firearm with ammunition in his vehicle. He expressed a chilling sentiment at the time, with assistant basketball coach Michael Baker recounting to KCRA, "He made the comment, 'I could take this school out in 30 seconds if I needed to.'"
Last Tuesday, Taras faced arraignment for the charges connected to the incident at Folsom High School and had been out on bail since then. The Folsom Cordova Unified School District, in a statement cited by KCRA, emphasized their commitment to safety, "Upon learning of his presence, our School Safety Team and Folsom Police responded immediately and conducted a thorough search of the area. Law enforcement has identified and detained Mr. Taras. Safety is our top priority, and as always, we encourage staff and families to report any concerns promptly to Administration or through our online reporting system, WeTip."
Following the arrest yesterday, Taras was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail but was released before 9:30 p.m. the same evening. While still an active investigation, the Folsom Police are continuing to probe the circumstances surrounding Taras's violations. Additional information released by CBS Sacramento includes that, during the previous arrest, authorities also found Taras in possession of a high-capacity magazine along with the other weapons.
