Suspect Arrested After Alleged Threat Forces Closure Of Two Colorado Schools

By Jacob Factor | KDVR FOX31

DENVER (KDVR) — The Costilla County Sheriff’s Office said a suspect is in custody for allegedly making a threat that closed two school districts in the county, one of which has closed for the whole week.

The Sierra Grande School District in Blanca and the Centennial School District in San Luis Monday night both reported a “potential threat” that closed their schools Tuesday.

Sierra Grande has about 300 students, and Centennial has about 180 students, according to the Colorado Department of Education, and Costilla County in southern Colorado along the New Mexico border has about 3,500 residents.

Costilla County Sheriff Danny Sanchez on Wednesday told FOX31 that the threat came from a man, later identified as suspect David Lee Landrum, about “blowing up a school” in the county over a conflict involving him and a staff member from one of the districts.

Landrum didn’t name the school, however, which prompted Sanchez to notify both districts and led to the closures.

Landrum has since been arrested, and Sanchez said no devices were found at any of the districts’ schools and all campuses are safe now.

The Sierra School District the next day on Tuesday said it would reopen on Wednesday after a sweep of the school by officials “determined that our school district and facilities are safe.”

Meanwhile, the Centennial School District on Tuesday called the threat “credible,” and Superintendent Kimba Rael told FOX31 the district would remain closed for the rest of the week to train staff after the investigation and arrest of the suspect.

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