The Flagstaff Police Department says the man who allegedly made recent threats against Coconino Community College and sent unhinged emails to various entities, including the Arizona Daily Sun, has been arrested.
On Sunday, Sept. 15, at approximately 11:50 a.m., 36-year-old Ash Fork resident Justin Wayne Hill was apprehended in Bozeman, Montana, in connection with outstanding criminal charges outlined in an arrest warrant. The arrest was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Flagstaff Police Department, the Coconino County Attorney鈥檚 Office, the Coconino County Sheriff鈥檚 Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bozeman Police Department.
"The nonstop work hours and asset resources made available by all agencies involved to quickly apprehend Mr. Hill underscores our dedication to protecting our communities from threats of violence and ensuring public safety," the release said.
Coconino Community College (CCC) said it was resuming normal operations on Monday, Sept. 16.
"All three of our locations will reopen, and all classes, services and activities will resume as scheduled," a post on CCC's Facebook page said.
Campus closure
CCC鈥檚 campuses were closed over the weekend as provost and Vice President Sandra Hinski said the institution was continuing to work with local law enforcement in its decision making.
鈥淲e are prioritizing the safety of our employees and our students, and making sure that we have a safe environment for everybody,鈥� she said.
Hinski said the decision to close CCC鈥檚 campuses was made late Friday night in coordination with law enforcement.
After CCC received an electronic threat, the Flagstaff Police Department (FPD) completed a threat assessment and worked with CCC leadership on the decision. All three CCC locations were closed to keep messaging clear as the threat was not made to any specific campus, she said.
CCC makes an assessment every time it receives a threat, Hinski said, though as far as she was aware this was the first time it has had to close the campus in response to a threat of this kind. CCC has previously closed campuses because of weather and COVID-19.
"It could be a threat of weather, it could be a threat of health and safety, it could be a threat of security; every threat is evaluated," she said. " ... We take everything very seriously, considering the atmosphere around the country right now.鈥�
That assessment includes campus officials communicating with local authorities and law enforcement and determining whether a threat is credible as well as its severity and scope.
Not every threat leads to a closure. 鈥淭he nature of the communication鈥� was the reason this threat rose to the level of closing campuses, according to Hinski.
While CCC has strategic plans for evacuating campus in response to a threat, Hinski said they were not needed as the decision was made Friday night after the campuses were already closed. None of the three locations opened the next morning, and they remain closed.
The timing of communications around the closure was in coordination with law enforcement to ensure CCC鈥檚 messages did not interfere with their work, she said.
The decision to reopen CCC's campuses will also be made in coordination with law enforcement, Hinski said, after they determine 鈥渢he threat has been mitigated and we can safely open the campus.鈥� The college is continuing to evaluate the situation, she said Saturday afternoon.
鈥淲hile we鈥檙e balancing the safety, we鈥檙e also very aware of not interrupting student learning,鈥� she said when asked what happens if the closure continues through Monday. 鈥�...One of the things that COVID has taught us is ways that we can safely deliver education in many different ways. We鈥檙e looking forward to being back on campus鈥ut we鈥檙e not going to do it until we know we can.鈥�
Online threats
The Flagstaff Police Department (FPD) sent a press release about an investigation of online threats just before 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
It said that on Friday, Sept. 13, the department received reports about electronic communications posted on 鈥渧arious school, government and business Yelp review platforms.鈥� The Daily Sun received five messages from an email address with Hill鈥檚 name overnight, and another about two hours before he was arrested.
鈥淭he content of these posts reference threats associated with mass shooting incidents, prompting immediate concern from those who contacted law enforcement,鈥� according to the FPD release, which was also sent out by the Coconino County Sheriff's Office (CCSO).
Police had positively identified the person making the posts as a man named Justin Wayne Hill, and issued an arrest warrant for him.
Court records show six previous cases Hill was involved in between 2016 and 2023, primarily in Williams (though there are one each in Peoria and Flagstaff鈥檚 municipal courts). These include dismissed cases in Williams Justice Court in 2021 and 2023 related to a threat to cause injury or damage to a person or property, and deferred prosecution in 2021 on three counts of unlawful intent to use electronic communication to terrify, intimidate, threaten or harass.