Since the beginning of the month, the woman and her family have been at the center of public discussion and concern in connection with the arrest of an unknown SLO High School student accused of bullying and threatening her son. The suspect, who police have declined to identify because he is a minor, was arrested March 1 on a felony hate crime charge.
According the SLO Police Department, the unnamed suspect had allegedly been bullying the 15-year-old autistic student since the beginning of the school year. That bullying included sending him threatening and derogatory text messages related to his autism and perceived sexual orientation. The same student also allegedly threatened to physically assault him, and police said their investigation later revealed there was a physical altercation involving the juvenile suspect and the victim in late February.