March 11, 2001

The San Diego County District Attorney's Office is seeking extradition of a Maryland man accused of sending threatening e-mail messages to East County students after the Santana High shooting.

Patrick Andrew Smith, 18, was arrested Friday night at his Walkersville, Md., home.

San Diego County sheriff's Detective Gary Williams and San Diego police Detective Skip Stephenson were among the officers who arrested Smith. They were on their way back to San Diego yesterday.

Williams and Stephenson, members of a regional computer crimes task force, helped trace the messages to Smith's computer.

The District Attorney's Office began extradition proceedings after Smith's arrest. Authorities want Smith brought to San Diego County to face charges of sending threatening electronic messages to two female students, one from Santana High and the other from West Hills High.

One student was told that if she went to school last Friday, he would shoot her and have sex with her after she died, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Yesterday, Smith was held in Frederick, Md., on Maryland charges that include first-degree assault, two counts of e-mail harassment and one count of threats against school students and officials.

"We want people in this community to know we won't tolerate this kind of thing," said San Diego sheriff's Lt. Ron VanRaaphort.

Search warrants were served at Smith's home and at the home of a relative in Rockville, Md. Investigators say they believe computers in both homes were involved in the threats.

An e-mail threat sent Tuesday night to a Columbine High student in Littleton, Colo., was also traced to Smith's computer, according to the Maryland State Police.

Authorities say they have not discovered a connection between Smith and Santana High shooting suspect Charles "Andy" Williams, who lived in Maryland before moving to California.