The 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado was a horrific tragedy that gripped an entire nation in disbelief and sorrow for the victims and their families. A recent story on the Today News website reported that a Tampa high school teen hoped to outdo the teens who were involved in the Columbine incident, but fortunately police stopped him before he could carry out his deadly plot.
Tampa Police arrested the teen after receiving a tip from an informant. A search of his home uncovered materials to make pipe bombs, as well sketches of classrooms and written statements of his plans. According to police, the 17-year-old planned to bomb the high school from which he was expelled in 2010 and “cause more casualties than those suffered at Columbine”. He is believed to have had no accomplices. The teen was charged with threatening to discharge, place, project or throw a destructive device, possession of materials for making bombs and growing marijuana in his room in his home.
The drug charges, combined with the magnitude of this teen’s attempted crime, plus a long list of previous juvenile arrests may prompt a judge to charge him as an adult. His Castle Rock criminal defense attorney will have a hard time convincing a judge to be lenient toward a young man who has already shown a blatant disregard for the law and for human life. If he is convicted as an adult, he may face jail time. His defense attorney will undoubtedly try to present a solid argument for less than the maximum penalty. He will also prepare his client for the possibility that the judge may be unconvinced that his client should not spend some serious time in prison.
