POLK COUNTY, Texas – KPRC 2 has obtained documents that detail the threats a 23-year-old former employee of a Christian youth camp is accused of saying to a group of children attending the camp.
Mario Bernal, 23, was arrested and charged with felony terroristic threat. His bond has been set at $50,000.
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ORIGINAL STORY: Former employee accused of making threats towards Polk County youth camp
On Sunday, we first learned that the Polk County Sheriff’s Office investigated threats made against Camp Cho-Yeh, a Christian youth camp and retreat center located near Livingston.
Newly obtained documents allege Bernal made multiple statements to children at the camp on Saturday, June 21, stating, “If they piss him off he is going to turn this into the next Columbine shooting.”
Bernal reportedly told the witness that if he was to get fired, he would “clock himself out and create the next Columbine shooting.”
The witness told investigators that Bernal was possibly headed to Houston with his girlfriend, who was also an employee of Camp Cho Yeh and lives in Houston.
He had recently been fired for allegedly locking a group of children in a room as a disciplinary measure, according to the documents.
Authorities were able to identify Bernal, who they say is an ex-employee of the camp, as the suspect. A warrant for Bernal’s arrest was issued.
The Livingston Police Department says units were staged around Camp Cho-Yeh on Sunday, June 22, when Bernal’s vehicle was spotted on S. Washington Avenue near the entrance to the camp. The vehicle was stopped and Bernal was taken into custody without incident.