When making threatening phone calls to “shoot up” John F. Kennedy High School, a former student posed as an autistic woman he allegedly sexually assaulted two years prior, according to court documents.
On Feb. 13 and 14, 20-year-old Jason Salinas is accused of using an internet phone application to place the calls. The caller asked for the school’s assistant principal and told her he was at the school and would soon begin shooting people.
The first call from Salinas was made at approximately 3:20 p.m. on Feb. 13, around the school’s dismissal time, according to court records. Salinas allegedly told the assistant principal he was “currently inside the school, walking down the hallway toward her office and was going to shoot her and security.”
“[Salinas] then advised that she had one minute and hung up the phone,” court documents say.
About five minutes later, Salinas called back and said he was across the street at a bus stop and was about to begin shooting.
The school was placed on lockdown and police remained on scene until classes were dismissed.
Around the same time the next day, Salinas called again, claiming to be a former female student prepared to “shoot up” the school, according to court documents. The school was placed on lockdown while police searched the property.
Police determined that all three calls were made from the same internet IP address in Prince George’s County, and that an internet phone service was used to make the calls.
Officers then interviewed and reviewed the phone records of the former student Salinas claimed to be in his call to the school on Feb. 14. She was ruled out as a suspect and, after being asked “if she had any issues with anyone that would want to cause trouble with her making the threat claims in her name,” the woman gave Salinas’ name.
She said he had sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions in 2018 and threatened her if she reported the rapes.
Police learned that Salinas had an active arrest warrant for two counts of second-degree rape and two counts of third-degree sex offenses for alleged assaults of the woman.
In December 2018, the parent of a 19-year-old autistic woman told police her daughter, who is “high-functioning but has difficulty with social issues,” had been sexually assaulted in the summer, according to court documents.
Salinas and the victim went to school together at Kennedy, but after several “incidents … involving harassment, they were eventually separated by school administrators” in 2017.
In June 2018, Salinas contacted the woman and said he wanted to get together. On June 5, 2018, they met at Hillwood Manor Park in Takoma Park. While sitting on a park bench, Salinas allegedly touched the woman inappropriately, despite her objections.
On Oct. 31, 2018, the two met again at Hillwood Manor Park.
“Previous to the meeting, Salinas told the victim he wanted to see her and promised not to do anything again like before,” according to court records.
But when they met, Salinas again touched the woman inappropriately, according to court records.
When the victim said she did not “want this,” Salinas said, “Yes, you want this,” court documents say, and continued to assault her.
Salinas later grabbed the victim by the neck and attempted to force her to give him oral sex, telling her to “shut up and stop screaming.”
When the victim did not calm down, Salinas left.
The woman told police in December 2018 she wasn’t “brave enough” to report the incidents when they happened, but that Salinas continued to contact her and she doesn’t want to see him again.
An arrest warrant was issued in May 2019.
Salinas was arrested on Feb. 26 and acknowledged making the shooting threats against Kennedy High, according to court records. He was charged with two counts each of threatening mass violence, disturbing school operations and making false statements to police. He faces up to 22 years of incarceration and up to $2,600 in fines for the charges.
He also faces two counts each of second-degree rape and third-degree sex offense and up to 60 years of incarceration.
He is scheduled to appear in court on March 27 for the rape charges and March 31 for the school threats.
Attorney information for Salinas was not available Wednesday afternoon.
Caitlynn Peetz can be reached at caitlynn.peetz@moco360.media.
