Teacher in Baldwin Park school standoff accused of making false bomb threat, endangering children
Teacher in Baldwin Park school standoff accused of making false bomb threat, endangering children
The teacher who police said threatened to blow up a middle school in Baldwin Park then holed up in an office for hours has been arrested on charges related to the barricade.
After the May 1 standoff, Veronica Renee Madere, 49, was taken to a hospital to be treated for injuries, Baldwin Park police Lt. Evan Martin said.
She was arrested at the hospital on Tuesday, May 6, and booked on suspicion of making a criminal threat, child endangerment, falsely reporting a bomb threat, burglary and grand theft, Detective Mark Berumen said.
She is accused of threatening to blow up Olive Middle School, at 13701 Olive St., where she works as a sixth-grade teacher and of taking over $950 from one of the offices, Berumen said.
Some of her injuries were self-inflicted, others due to bean-bag rounds and a police dog biting her, he said.
Booking records show Madere posted bond and was released on Wednesday, May 7. Madere and her attorney couldn’t be reached for comment on Thursday, May 8.
Police say they don’t know the motive behind her actions.
“She’s not talking to us,” Berumen said.
On May 1, she called in sick then showed up at the school that morning, demanded $20 million before barricading herself in one of the offices, the detective said. She repeated those demands on social media and made statements that included her daughter was being cloned, Berumen said.
Police were called about around 9:45 a.m. As a precaution, students and employees were evacuated to Walnut Elementary School.
The barricade ended at 9:18 p.m. after officers used tear gas and rammed a door, Berumen said.
It’s not clear how long Madere has worked for Baldwin Park Unified School District or what is her current employment status.
“Unfortunately, the district is unable to comment on personnel-related matters,” said Erika Sanchez, spokeswoman for Baldwin Park Unified.
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