Martinez, Calif. – On Thursday, June 5, 2019, Tristen Amir Curl, a 20-year-old resident of Oakley, California and Austin, Texas, pleaded guilty to two felonies of Stalking and Making Criminal Threats, a strike offense. Curl was immediately sentenced by the Honorable Judy Johnson in Department 26 of the Contra Costa County Superior Court in Pittsburg as part of a negotiated disposition to the case.
Curl was sentenced to 300 days in county jail, three years of felony probation, a 10-year stay away order from Freedom High School and all schools within the Liberty Unified School District and fines. The sentencing also included a criminal protective order which names all the victims in the case. Additionally, the terms of the disposition also allow law enforcement officials to search his computers, cell phone, tablets or other electronic devices for five years. Restitution will also be paid to the Liberty Unified School District.
The disposition of the case is a result of a two-month investigation by the Oakley Police Department, Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into a series of threats on social media. In September, several underage females were contacted by an unknown person on social media who was threatening to rape and kill them. The same subject threatened to shoot students at Freedom High School in Oakley and then threatened to murder the school principal.
Investigators subsequently identified Curl as the suspect and obtained an arrest warrant for him, which was approved by a Superior Court Judge in Contra Costa County. On November 20, 2018, Curl was arrested in Austin, Texas where he attends college. Curl was charged on November 28, 2018 with Stalking, Making Criminal Threats and Threatening a School Official. He was extradited to California in December 2018 and has remained in custody since his arrest.
The District Attorney’s Office and the Oakley Police Department wish to thank the FBI, the California Department of Justice, the Concord Police Department, the Austin Police Department and the St. Edward’s University Police Department, all of whom provided substantial assistance during the investigation.
Deputy District Attorney Chris Sansoe said “Keeping our schools and classrooms safe for all students, teachers and administrators is a priority for this office and anyone who threatens mass murder against a school will be investigated and prosecuted.”
Case information: People v. Tristan Curl, Dockett Number 04-195028-6
