DA on Ponderosa High School bomb threat case: ‘We're not looking to return kids to the classroom'
DENVER (KDVR) — A juvenile is now officially facing charges for allegedly bringing an improvised explosive device to Ponderosa High School on March 4, prompting an evacuation of the school building.
The boy allegedly brought a 'suspicious device' to the school and was arrested later in the day. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office credited a Safe2Tell report as first bringing the device at the school to its attention.
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On Wednesday, official charges of attempted murder after deliberation, attempted first-degree assault with extreme indifference, manufacture explosive or incendiary device, possession of explosive or incendiary device and interference with school activities. The office also filed two sentence enhancement charges of aggravated juvenile offender and violent juvenile offender.
Colorado 23rd Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler weighed in on the charges on Wednesday after they were officially filed. He said that he's faced with the question of whether to ask the court to try the 15-year-old male suspect as an adult, or proceed in juvenile court.
He said that if the suspect were 16 or older, he'd be able to file the charges directly into adult court. Because the student charged is younger, there would be a transfer hearing to present evidence before a judge who would then determine if the charges should be in adult or juvenile court.
Brauchler said that if the suspect is charged as an adult, the boy's identity will become public.
'Very serious accusations, you can tell by the charge of the manufacture and possession of an incendiary device: We're talking about bomb making and bomb possessing,' Brauchler said.
He explained that the outcome of the charges filed against the juvenile depends on if the case is prosecuted in adult or juvenile court. He said out-of-home placement for the juvenile could be a possible sentence if the case is prosecuted in juvenile court.
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'You know, anytime you have an allegation of any type of potential violence or injury taking place at a public school, and folks should know: My kids go to a public high school in this county, so this is not a small matter for me,' Brauchler said. 'It's serious, and it needs to be taken seriously. And trying to get to justice here, we also have to be open to the idea that there are things you can do as a school district, and I'm not in charge of them, that can make us better prepared to deal with or head this off, we've gotta do that.'
Brauchler added that the 23rd Judicial District is focused on holding people responsible for their actions.
'We're not looking to return kids to the classroom, we're not looking to find a way to make excuses for what they did, we're looking to find the truth of the matter, address it and never, ever, ever have this happen again,' Brauchler said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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