A federal magistrate on Friday opened the door for a Folsom man accused of scouting “sniper points” at Folsom High School to wait for his federal trial from home, under tight supervision, after he completes inpatient psychiatric treatment. U.S. Magistrate Judge Allison Claire ruled that Curt Taras can be placed on home incarceration with an ankle monitor once he finishes an out-of-state residential treatment program. He remains under a federal indictment accusing him of possessing firearms and ammunition while legally barred from having them.
Judge Signs Off On Strictly Controlled Release
Claire issued the decision during a hearing in Sacramento federal court, tying any release to the timing of Taras’s completion of the treatment program, according to The Sacramento Bee. The Bee reports the judge ordered ankle monitoring and other conditions meant to sharply limit Taras’s movements while the case is pending. Defense attorneys argued that supervised treatment and monitoring would address his psychiatric needs more effectively than keeping him in pretrial detention.
Federal Indictment And The Charges
A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment charging Taras with possession of firearms and ammunition by a prohibited person and with possessing a firearm within a school zone, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California. Prosecutors say investigators found a firearm within 1,000 feet of the Folsom High campus, then later uncovered additional weapons and ammunition during searches of his vehicle and home. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case, which it describes as the product of a joint investigation with the Folsom Police Department and the FBI.
Campus Encounter And The 'Sniper Points' Remark
The incident that triggered the investigation began on Sept. 24, when school staff confronted a man on the Folsom High campus and a lockdown followed after employees reported alarming comments about possible “sniper points,” according to local television coverage. “He made the comment, ‘I could take this school out in 30 seconds if I needed to,’” Folsom assistant basketball coach Michael Baker told KCRA. Police later said Taras had a knife on campus, while officers recovered a handgun and loaded magazines from a vehicle parked nearby.
Defense Leans Hard On Mental-Health Treatment
Taras’s attorneys have characterized his conduct as the result of an acute paranoid mental-health episode tied to bipolar disorder and a traumatic brain injury, and they told the court he has been receiving psychiatric care at a Veterans Affairs facility in Oregon, The Bee reports. The defense argued that the treatment plan, combined with strict supervision, would lower any risk to the public while preserving his access to necessary care. That medical backdrop was a central factor in Claire’s decision to permit conditional home confinement while the case moves toward trial.
Legal Stakes And Potential Penalties
Federal law makes it a crime to possess a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school and to possess firearms while subject to a restraining order. The U.S. Attorney’s Office notes those charges can carry statutory maximum prison terms of up to five years and up to 15 years, respectively. Prosecutors also point to possible fines of up to $250,000 per count, although any sentence would ultimately be set by a judge after briefing and guideline calculations. The indictment’s allegations have not been proven in court, and Taras is presumed innocent unless and until he is found guilty.
Timeline And Local Fallout
Taras was first detained after the late-September encounter at Folsom High, then later drew additional scrutiny over a separate visit to an elementary school that county prosecutors say violated a court order, according to local media reports. The Folsom Cordova Unified School District notified parents about the incidents and has increased school safety coordination with law enforcement, according to coverage by Folsom Times and earlier reporting on criminal threats and weapon possession near the high school. District officials have said they intend to keep families informed as the legal process plays out.
Prosecutors and defense lawyers are expected back in federal court as the case proceeds, and the timing of any supervised release will depend on Taras’s completion of the residential program and his compliance with the court’s monitoring rules. For now, the judge’s order attempts to walk a tightrope between public safety concerns and the defense’s push for sustained mental-health treatment while the indictment works its way toward trial.
