Minden, NV - On October 14, 2024, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DSCO) received information from Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office that suspect Kevin Harrington had made violent threats against an elementary school in Sonoma County, California (see Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office press release below).
DCSO, with the help of South Lake Tahoe Police Department, located a stolen motor vehicle believed to be driven by Harrington parked in the Harrah’s parking lot. DCSO requested assistance from Harrah’s/Harvey’s observation department in an attempt to locate Harrington in the casino core area. Observation was able to locate Harrington walking in and around a hotel room in Harvey’s. DCSO responded and arrested Harrington without further incident.
This arrest was made possible due to the cooperation with multiple agencies to ensure the safety of the both the communities as these types of incidents are a priority to Sheriff Dan Coverley. Harrington is being held on Nevada charges of possession of a stolen motor vehicle and a felony warrant for his arrest out of Sonoma County, California for the threats made on the school.
Press Release with additional details from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office
Yesterday, October 14th, at about 11:36 am, the Sheriff’s Office was called to Penngrove Elementary School for a possible school threat. After reviewing the information provided, it was clear the threat was specific to the school. These types of calls are treated with the utmost caution and concern.
Our primary concern was for the safety and well-being of the students and staff involved. The decision was made to lock down the school to ensure the safety of everyone on campus. Additional resources were deployed to the school, to include, additional deputies, detectives, SWAT team members, K9 units, and Henry 1.
In evaluating the situation, the decision was made to evacuate the school to ensure the safety of the children and staff. Once the school was locked down and the school campus was determined to be safe, the process of evacuating students was systematically started. Classroom by classroom, students and staff were evacuated by bus with a deputy escort to the reunification point at Rancho Adobe Fire’s Penngrove station. This ensured every student was accounted for, and parents were able to efficiently pick up their children. As parents were picking up their children, Violent Crime detectives were working on locating the suspect.
Detectives determined the suspect was likely out of the area and continued working to determine his exact location. Through the investigation, Violent Crime detectives determined the suspect, Kevin Harrington, 47, Santa Rosa, was likely in the South Lake Tahoe area. With the invaluable assistance from South Lake Tahoe Police and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Harrington was located and arrested in Nevada, by Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputies. Violent Crime detectives responded to Douglas County to continue their investigation and gather further evidence.
Harrington was booked into the Douglas County Jail for felony criminal threats and possession of a stolen vehicle. Harrington is being held on $500,000 bail and is currently waiting to be extradited to Sonoma County. We want to take a moment to thank the California Highway Patrol, Petaluma Police Department, Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District, Petaluma City Schools, and Old Adobe Union School District for ensuring a safe and efficient response. We also want to thank the school staff and bus drivers who, without hesitation, risked their own safety to protect the kids.
We also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the parents and families who trusted the Sheriff’s Office with your loved ones. We deeply appreciate your trust and cooperation. School threats are scary, fast-moving, and chaotic, but everyone was calm, collected, and supportive. This collaboration allowed us to do our job efficiently and demonstrates the strength of our community response.
Prepared by PIO Deputy Rob Dillion
Media inquiries: 707-565-3941
Case number: 241014-009