Crime & Public Safety
Man Arrested After Alleged b0mb Threat, Weapons Found on Fernandina Beach Middle School Campus
Fernandina Beach police arrested a man after officers say he brought multiple weapons onto the Fernandina Beach Middle School campus and threatened to blow up the school. The suspect, identified by police as Ralph Suarez, was taken into custody after a school resource officer responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle on campus.
Police say the resource officer encountered Suarez sitting on the ground next to a blanket that had several knives and a compound bow with arrows laid out. When officers attempted to arrest Suarez, the encounter became physical and, according to Fernandina Beach Police Chief Jeffrey Tambasco, Suarez threatened to blow up the school. The Nassau County School District placed Fernandina Beach Middle on a brief lockdown during the incident.
Local authorities have charged Suarez with exhibiting a weapon on school property, armed trespass on school property, making a false report of a b0mb threat, and resisting arrest. Police records cited by investigators also note prior contacts in Nassau County, including a recent trespassing arrest and previous mental health observation under the Baker Act.
Suarez is currently being held in the Nassau County Jail. The account above reports actions and allegations documented by Fernandina Beach police and the Nassau County School District; charges have been filed by law enforcement and his detention is recorded in county custody records.
All individuals accused of a crime are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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All individuals mentioned in criminal allegations are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.