Would-be Columbine copycats arrested

[bloodrayne]

Students charged in alleged plot

Laguna Creek pair accused of planning murders; no hate-crime counts are filed.

Authorities charged two 15-year-old boys Wednesday with conspiring to murder their classmates at Laguna Creek High School, but prosecutors backed off allegations that the crimes were racially motivated.
The boys -- one a freshman, the other a sophomore -- were arrested after another student's parent tipped law enforcement officials that the pair were plotting to attack Laguna Creek High with guns and bombs. Both are charged with two counts each of conspiracy to commit murder and one count of attempted burglary, said Deputy District Attorney Rick Yenovkian.

Though authorities found no guns or explosives at the school, a .22-caliber rifle was voluntarily given to investigators by one of the boy's parents. Authorities said the pair had tried to break into a sporting goods store to steal weapons.

Prosecutors declined to file charges on earlier allegations that the boys were targeting particular students because they are African American. Yenovkian would not elaborate, though the reduced charges suggest that earlier allegations of hate crimes couldn't be supported.
The freshman was arraigned Wednesday in a closed juvenile court hearing before Judge Norman Main. The sophomore is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday. If convicted, both boys could be sentenced to the California Youth Authority until they turn 25.

School officials said they are "moving forward with expulsion" for both boys. The Bee is not naming the boys because they are juveniles.

The threat appears to have kept some students away from school Wednesday. District spokesman Jim Elliott said about 800 students missed at least one class period, which is double the normal number.

Meanwhile, parents of the freshman further detailed their claims that a counselor did not immediately respond to concerns over their son's poor grades and depressive behavior. The boy's mother said she met face to face with the counselor two weeks ago, who assured her that he would talk to her son.

"He said he would get on it right away," the boy's mother said. "I never heard anything from him," until the counselor called after her son was arrested.

Dave Gordon, superintendent of Elk Grove Unified School District, rejected the parent's argument that the school staff didn't address their concerns.

"What I can say is that I am confident that the school and the staff did due diligence in affording opportunities for counseling for this student," Gordon said. He and Laguna Creek officials said they could not discuss details because of student confidentiality.

Laguna Creek -- among the region's larger schools with 2,438 students -- has five counselors who manage caseloads of roughly 500 students each.

Gordon said it's a tremendous workload for counselors, who manage other programs in addition to dealing directly with students on issues that range from college preparation to social and emotional problems.

"Our ratio is generally better than our neighboring districts," Gordon said. "But it's a chronic problem in California because of our budget situation."

Laguna Creek officials said they offer an array of programs to foster respect and understanding among the large and diverse student body.

The main program -- known as advocacy class -- assigns a group of students to one teacher, who follows them through all four years. Groups meet with their advocacy teachers every Monday and discuss issues that range from diversity and sexual harassment to college and career planning, said Laguna Creek Vice Principal Priscilla Marsh.

"This is a very large school," Marsh said. "We are trying to personalize school for our kids by connecting them right away to a teacher that follows them through to the end."

Nick Fletcher, a 17-year-old student, agreed that counseling is accessible at the suburban campus, noting the counselors who daily sit outside their offices during the lunch hour.

"Help is here," he said. "It's easy to find. There's a table at lunch, and you can just walk up to a counselor and ask for help."

On Wednesday, investigators were sorting through details to learn more about the boys and the reasons for their alleged plot.

The parents of the freshman accused in the plot said they worried he was a loner and had encouraged him to meet other kids in the neighborhood. They said he recently had met some new friends, whom they described as "quiet skateboarders."

The freshman's mother said she has never met the 15-year-old sophomore charged in the case. The sophomore's family could not be reached for comment.