Man banned from Folsom schools spotted at elementary school, arrested

A man who previously was arrested for making threats on the Folsom High School campus and was allegedly in possession of weapons near the campus when he made those threats was spotted Monday afternoon on the Sandra Gallardo Elementary School campus. According to Folsom Police, Curt Taras, 53, was seen on the campus and authorities quickly responded. "We received a call today just after 2 p.m. that a subject who was not permitted on campus was seen at Gallardo Elementary in Folsom," said Commander Andrew Bates. "Today was a non-student day at school, but there were still some people on campus for other activities. Multiple officers swept the area and determined the person was no longer at the campus. Through an investigation, we determined that Curt Taras, 53, of Folsom had been at the campus and officers arrested him for violating a court order." Angela Griffin, chief communications officer with the Folsom Cordova Unified School District, said Taras is banned from FCUSD campuses and was observed briefly entering the grounds of Sanda J. Gallardo Elementary. A number of staff were present for professional development. "Upon learning of his presence, our School Safety Team and Folsom Police responded immediately and conducted a thorough search of the area. Law enforcement has identified and detained Mr. Taras," said Griffin. "Safety is our top priority, and as always, we encourage staff and families to report any concerns promptly to administration or through our online reporting system, WeTip." On Sept. 25, Taras was arrested for making threats at Folsom High School in the early evening. The school's basketball coach called Folsom Police immediately and the school went into lockdown until the suspect was found and arrested. Folsom Police said they found a knife in Taras' possession along with a handgun and loaded magazines in his car. At the time, he faced charges of possessing a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school, possession of a concealed firearm in his vehicle, possession of s high-capacity magazine, possession of a knife on a school campus and violation of a court order; he was booked at Sacramento County Jail and was scheduled for a court hearing Sept. 27. Commander Bates said Taras is going to be booked at the Sacramento County Jail.