A past Atascadero Middle School teacher is in custody after being arrested on suspicion of threatening school district employees.
Atascadero police reportedly worked with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to take James Klink, 56, into custody earlier this month. He was reportedly no longer living in the Atascadero area at the time of his arrest.
According to San Luis Obispo County Jail records, Klink was booked into the jail on January 17 on five charges of making terrorist threats. He remained in custody as of Tuesday evening.
Families of students at the middle school received a letter Tuesday from Superintendent Tom Butler regarding Klink's arrest.
He said the former teacher has not been on campus since Sept. 2, 2022, and that the school district is "taking all appropriate personnel actions regarding the employee... In addition, the school district immediately and actively partnered with law enforcement to make sure our students and staff are safe."
Anyone with further information about this case is urged to contact the Atascadero Police Department at (805) 461-5051.
