SAN ANGELO, TX — A local daycare and small business was harmed by a viral Facebook post that spread throughout San Angelo overnight. According to the post made on the personal page of Christian Marisol Quintanilla, a man with a very long rap sheet went to a local daycare asking for a tour. After the tour, he warned of an imminent mass shooting at a San Angelo daycare.
San Angelo Police Chief Frank Carter confirmed there was a man taken into custody on an “emergency detention” order. Later the police department released a statement that the incident did not involve the daycare originally noted in the Facebook post.
As the Facebook rumor spread, we reached out to Quintanilla to ask more about her allegations against the local daycare and business. Quintanilla did not respond to our message request made via Facebook messenger.
As more and more concerned parents contacted us about the rumor, we asked more questions, and the story kept changing. Other daycares were mentioned. One rumor was that the man made multiple tours of multiple daycares and relayed the same warning to each business. Meanwhile, the original daycare in question had to make a Facebook post denying the incident involved their business. Police backed up the daycare's statement.
For now, we can confirm that the San Angelo police are aware of the situation and been proactive in resolving it.
Here is the complete statement from San Angelo police:
"At this time, there is no active threat (or threat whatsoever) pertaining to Pumpkin Patch Preschool and the Social Media posts circulating on Facebook.
"The Pumpkin Patch Preschool has issued a Facebook post discrediting the alleged incident involving a man and stated the claim was false.
"At this time, the man in question is under an mental health-related emergency detention and the situation is being monitored.
"Please do not call dispatch with questions regarding the incident and to inquire about area school closures. Our dispatchers have been inundated with calls and it is imperative to keep those emergency lines open for police and fire emergency calls for service.
"Please call your children's school administrator for questions and concerns regarding school incidents or to verify social media claims/rumors," police stated.
This is a developing story.
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