A 37-year-old man is facing two counts of making criminal threats after San Diego County Sheriff's detectives say they traced a threatening letter mailed to Valhalla High School back to him, then linked him to similar threats sent to a bank and a private home. Ray Talia was taken into custody Thursday evening during a search warrant served at a home on the 3100 block of Landis Street in San Diego's North Park neighborhood.
According to Fox 5 San Diego & KUSI News, investigators linked Talia not only to the letter sent to Valhalla High School but also to a threat mailed to a Chase Bank in San Diego and another sent to a private residence in El Cajon. The Sheriff's Department says detectives and school resource officers began investigating the threat mailed to the campus on September 16, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. The Rancho San Diego Sheriff's Station was the media contact for the case.
Valhalla High School sits at 1725 Hillsdale Road in unincorporated El Cajon, per Fox 5's reporting. The Rancho San Diego Sheriff's Station was identified as a contact point for the case. The station operates out of Campo Road in Spring Valley. Founded in 1974, the campus serves more than 1,700 students in grades 9 through 12 within the Grossmont Union High School District, according to Niche.
Bomb/Arson Unit Joins High-Risk Search
Detectives from the Rancho San Diego Sheriff's Station brought in the department's specialized Bomb/Arson Unit to serve the warrant at 7:30 p.m. Thursday on Landis Street, the sheriff's department reports. The Landis Street address is in North Park, according to a Los Angeles Times archive. Talia was arrested during the search and booked into San Diego Central Jail.
Investigators also obtained a Gun Violence Restraining Order prohibiting Talia from possessing firearms, the sheriff's department says. California's GVRO law lets law enforcement officers, family members, and school employees petition courts for civil orders barring people in crisis from possessing or acquiring firearms and ammunition, according to a City of San Diego document on the law.
San Diego County's Heavy Use of Red-Flag Orders
A PLOS ONE publication cited in connection with the state's red-flag law is an interview protocol, according to PLOS ONE. A separate publication available through PubMed Central also discusses the state's red-flag law.
Talia faces two counts of making criminal threats.
Sheriff's officials say there is no ongoing threat to Valhalla High School or the surrounding community, and the investigation remains active. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Rancho San Diego Sheriff's Station at 619-660-7090.
