Update: On Thursday, the Office of the President sent a campuswide email addressing the university’s concerns following Tuesday’s police report.
In addition to safety precautions, UTRGV President Guy Bailey also addressed the university’s assessment of the situation.
“As you may know, UTRGV [Police Department] sends Timely Warning Notifications regarding situations in which there is an imminent, impending, or immediate threat to the university community.
“In this situation, when UTRGV [Police Department] was first notified of the threat, its initial investigation into the matter revealed that there was no imminent, impending, or immediate threat. While employment privacy laws prohibit the public sharing of how UTRGV [Police Department] made that determination, rest assured, we immediately addressed the threat when it arose.”
Bailey wrote that it is also important to understand that employment privacy laws prohibit what information can be provided by university officials, including such details as the employees’ name and job title. While the university is not at liberty to disclose said information, Bailey wrote that officials are working with media partners to inform the public accurately.
“Above all, please know that we take these threats very seriously and that the safety and success of all our students, faculty, and staff is our top priority,” he wrote in the email.
The suspect in a case of terroristic threat to the UTRGV campus community was arrested Saturday and released from Edinburg Municipal Jail the same day.
On Feb. 21, a UTRGV Police Administrative Report said detectives were investigating a terroristic threat. The Rider contacted Assistant Chief of Police Van Slusser at the time but was told no details could be provided due to the active investigation.
UTRGV Police updated the report Friday, stating that a suspect in the case was arrested on a warrant for a “terroristic threat obtained by [the] UTRGV [Police Department Criminal Investigations Division] after being discharged from a local inpatient mental health treatment facility.”
Hidalgo County Jail records show that Joseph Phillip Diaz, 30, of Weslaco was transported and booked Saturday into the Edinburg Municipal Jail and released on a bond of $5,000 the same day.
The suspect was also issued a criminal trespass warning for all UTRGV property, making it illegal for the suspect to be on university property. Failure to comply will result in an arrest, according to Patrick Gonzales, UTRGV associate vice president for University Marketing & Communications.
According to the probable cause affidavit obtained Tuesday by The Rider, about 4:45 p.m. Feb. 21, UTRGV police detectives were informed by an Hidalgo County Sheriff Office deputy that a current university employee had made threats of violence against the UTRGV community. The sheriff’s deputy informed detectives that the man revealed his intent during his interview with a screener that he had planned to conduct a mass shooting at the university.
The charge is a class B misdemeanor.
On the UTRGV Students Facebook page, students expressed fear about the case.
One user expressed concern about going to school, while another advised students to be alert.
Tuesday morning, UTRGV Announcements sent out a campuswide email stating that “The individual is currently on investigative leave as the university conducts an administrative review of the incident. During this time, the individual is not authorized to be on UTRGV campuses or locations.”
The announcement also stated that the threat was addressed when it first arose.
“Based on information gathered by UTRGV PD there is no immediate threat to the campus community at this time,” the email states. “UTRGV PD’s investigation of this matter continues.”
Asked if the campus community is safe, Gonzales replied, “Based on our investigation, as you see in the statement, there is no immediate threat at this time.”
