Oregon teen planned to blow up his school in 'Columbine-style' attack, authorities say Published May 26, 2013
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- May 25, 2013: The Oregon State Police Explosives Unit responded to the scene to assess the safety risks associated with the items found at the home. (fox 12)
An Oregon teenager was arrested Saturday after he allegedly built bombs with the intent of waging a "Columbine-style" attack on his high school, authorities say.
17-year-old Grant Acord will be charged as an adult with attempted aggravated murder and also faces six counts of manufacturing and possessing a destructive device after investigators found six bombs in a secret compartment in his bedroom, Benton County District Attorney John Haroldson said.
Acord was taken to a juvenile jail Thursday night after police received a tip that the youth was making a bomb to blow up West Albany High School, located about 75 miles south of Portland.
He said Acord had written plans, a checklist and a specific timeline for the attack. The bombs investigators found included pipe bombs, Molotov cocktails, a Drano bomb and a napalm bomb, Haroldson said.
Police found no bombs during a search of the high school.
Haroldson declined to provide the specific date Acord allegedly planned to attack the school, but said it would be included in court paperwork to be filed after the Memorial Day weekend.
"That said there were also some indications that it could happen at any time, too," Haroldson said. "So you have - A -the methodical planning and then - B - I suppose he could get really excited about it and go early."
Acord is a junior. Haroldson said he's not aware that the youth had any major problems, such as a suspension, at school.
"In any case that you have a young person that in essence plans to take a video game approach to killing people at school, you have to take a close look at the mental health issues," he said. "And the process will certainly provide for that once he's represented by counsel."
Students at the high school tell Fox 12 they are stunned by the allegations.
"I'd say 'hi' to him in the hallway because I was kind of like I should probably talk to this kid, make sure he feels okay," senior Dennis Reilly said. "So I talked to him sometimes, and he seems like a pretty nice guy."
The district attorney said it did not appear the teen was targeting a specific person or group of people. He said Acord will likely be arraigned Tuesday in Benton County Circuit Court in Corvallis.
"I can't say enough about how lucky we are that there was an intervention," the district attorney said. "When I look at the evidence in the case, I shudder to think of what could have happened here."
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