Teacher Held After Alleged Death Threat

A veteran history teacher at San Clemente High School was charged Tuesday with threatening to kill his supervisors after a disciplinary hearing at the school, authorities said.

Frank Gardner, 49, allegedly told a nurse at South Coast Medical Center that he was so angry after last Friday’s meeting he wanted to kill his supervisors and harm himself, said Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Fred Lisanti. The nurse, worried about the threat, contacted authorities.

In an interview with deputies, Gardner confirmed he made the threat but said he was speaking in anger and did not intend to harm anyone, Lisanti said.

Gardner was arrested and booked into Orange County jail on suspicion of making a terrorist threat. He is being held on $1 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned today.

“He made the threat, verified the threat with deputies, and at that point public safety becomes the primary concern,” Lisanti said.

Deputies searched Gardner’s San Clemente home and removed two rifles and a handgun. Authorities found no ammunition and no other evidence suggesting that Gardner was planning to kill anyone, Lisanti said.

Gardner’s attorney could not be reached for comment.

James A. Fleming, superintendent of the Capistrano Unified School District, said the Friday meeting involved allegations that Gardner sexually harassed students. Fleming declined to detail the allegations but said they involved verbal exchanges and that no physical contact was involved.

At the meeting, school officials “put him on notice that [the behavior] must stop,” the superintendent said. “We felt the behavior was unacceptable and should not be repeated.”

Fleming said Gardner did not threaten anyone at the meeting.