Placer County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a Roseville-area transient after he entered the grounds of a Roseville middle school and threatened the principal Thursday afternoon.
Deputies responded to Creekview Ranch Middle School in the unincorporated area of west Roseville at 3:41 p.m. School officials had called 911 to report that a man had walked on campus and when confronted by the principal, pointed an object that he held like a handgun and said he was going to kill the principal. The principal directed the staff to place the school on lockdown. Although school was out, there were children on campus, participating in after school activities.
The suspect, Reiner Gae Poppenga, 61, was found in a nearby creek bed and fought with deputies who attempted to take him into custody. He was taken to the Placer County Jail in Auburn and booked on charges of making criminal threats and resisting arrest. His bail was set at $25,000.