"A Carmel Mountain Ranch elementary school that was threatened with mass shootings and violence was at the center of a new bill recently signed into law that criminalizes targeted threats to institutions, buildings and campuses. Signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 11, Senate Bill 19 closes a legal loophole and allows violent threats made against schools, workplaces, houses of worship and other public gathering spaces to be more fully prosecuted."
"Assemblymember Darshana Patel, D-San Diego, who co-authored the bill, said the previous law was ambiguous as to whether someone could be criminally prosecuted if the threat was made against an institution rather than a specific person. The issue gained attention after a man in her district, Lee Lor, 40, sent an email saying he was going to commit mass shootings at Shoal Creek Elementary School."
"During the trial, Lor's attorney argued his client shouldn't be found guilty because the email was not sent directly to the school and did not specifically threaten the school's principal, Harmeena Omoto, who was listed in a criminal complaint as the victim. A similar argument led a judge to dismiss the criminal case against Lor in 2024, but prosecutors later refiled the criminal threats count."
Senate Bill 19, signed Oct. 11 by Gov. Gavin Newsom, criminalizes targeted threats to schools, workplaces, houses of worship and other public gathering spaces. The law closes an ambiguity that previously limited prosecution when threats targeted institutions rather than specific individuals. The bill was co-authored by Assemblymember Darshana Patel. The issue followed a case in which Lee Lor sent roughly 400 threatening emails about Shoal Creek Elementary, including statements about murdering children and finding pleasure in killing them. A judge once dismissed a threats charge over the institutional-targeting ambiguity, but prosecutors refiled and Lor was later convicted and sentenced.
Read at www.sandiegouniontribune.com
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