Cougar Sighting Prompts School Closure In Mission Viejo Thursday

MISSION VIEJO, CA — A mountain lion sighting prompted South Orange County school officials to place Newhart Middle School in Mission Viejo on lockdown Thursday, Dec. 15, the Orange County Register reported.

Orange County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Mike Woodruff told the OC Register that the animal was spotted near the campus early Thursday morning. A helicopter was dispatched to search for the big cat, but the animal was not located as of Thursday afternoon, the report said.

Three separate sightings of the cougar were reported to authorities, Woodruff told the OC Register.

“Students were moved indoors. The shelter-in-place has been lifted as communication with the sheriff’s department indicates that the lion is no longer in the area of the school,” Capistrano Unified School District spokesperson Patricia Effenberger said.

To learn more about the big cat that was spotted near a Mission Viejo school, read the full article on the Orange County Register.