Youth must write 500-word essay as punishment
A 16-year-old high school student will be putting pen to paper as the juvenile court ordered him to write an essay telling of the consequences of his alleged actions in threatening to bring a bomb to school.
The student, whose name has not been released by authorities, admitted to a juvenile petition alleging he made a false report earlier this month. The incident involved other students hearing the youth make a statement that he was going to bring a bomb to school and detonate it during first or second period. The students told school officials of the statement and police were called. The youth was taken into custody following questioning and later released into his mother’s custody.
There was no evidence the boy had taken measures to bring any explosive device to school. The youth told lawmen he did talk about a bomb; however, the teen said he was referring to a shaving cream bomb he was going to put in a locker which would spray shaving cream when the locker was opened.
Despite having no overt actions to carry out any bombing, prosecutors say making a statement which causes fear, as it did in the case of the students who heard the statement, is enough to charge making a false report.
The youth’s punishment will include writing a 500-word essay telling of the consequences of making a false report. The boy will also be on probation for six months, pay a $25 fine and must perform 50 hours public service. He remains suspended from school but will likely have a re-instatement hearing in the near future.