Latest news with #PonderosaHighSchool
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Yahoo
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. Police find purse belonging to CU Boulder student found dead in Boulder Canyon 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. Man killed in Aurora after online marketplace transaction meetup '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.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
‘Thank God somebody reported': Parents react to Ponderosa High School bomb threat
PARKER, Colo. (KDVR) — Parents are reacting to the Ponderosa High School threat after a student brought an alleged explosive device to school and now could be facing attempted first-degree murder, among other charges. 'I did get a cell phone notification from the school letting us know that they had placed the school on hold because there was a student who was needing additional support,' said Ashley Rice, mother to a Ponderosa sophomore, about Tuesday's events. 'Got a second call, that they were going through evacuation mode due to the potential bomb threat that was there.' Ponderosa High School student facing attempted murder for 'explosive device' On Tuesday, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said a school resource officer found a suspected improvised explosive device in the backpack of a 15-year-old male student after a threat was reported through Safe2Tell. 'Thank God somebody reported the Safe2Tell. If it was real, what were the intentions? This could have been much more serious than it was,' said Rice. 'You know your child is going in there, you know anything could happen. Tomorrow isn't promised for any of us… You just hope that good kids report, call Safe2Tell. There's more good kids out there, there's more good than all the scary stuff.' On Thursday, the agency announced that a 15-year-old male was being held with no bond and deputies were recommending charges to the district attorney's office of: Attempted first-degree murder Possession, use or removal of explosives or incendiary devices Interference with staff, faculty or students of educational institutions Safe2Tell implements new monthly reporting method as reports continue rising trend 'My heart goes out to the parents of that student. Parent of adolescence… they do crazy things sometimes and I know that family is going through some challenges too,' said Rice. 'We definitely came home and had a family conversation and I think when we found out it was real, the tears kind of started flowing. My son was… it definitely hit him.' Rice was a Douglas County high school student when the Columbine shooting happened in 1999. 'The world forever changed after that. The way schools handled emergencies changed. As a parent, you hear it on the news, you think, oh, this is in another town, this is in another place, and then when it's here, it's so real,' said Rice. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
Ponderosa High School student facing attempted murder for ‘explosive device'
DENVER (KDVR) — A 15-year-old male high school student in Douglas County is now facing multiple charges, including attempted first-degree murder, after he allegedly brought a 'suspicious device' in his backpack to school. The matter closed Ponderosa High School on Tuesday, March 4, and led to an evacuation of the building. Students were let back into the school at about 11:40 a.m. The juvenile was detained by law enforcement that evening. Denver police pursue suspect after shooting on Speer Boulevard The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said that after investigating, the device was found to be explosive, but detectives were 'waiting on final confirmation from the experts.' On Thursday, the agency announced that a 15-year-old male was being held with no bond and deputies were recommending charges to the district attorney's office of: Attempted first-degree murder Possession, use or removal of explosives or incendiary devices Interference with staff, faculty or students of educational institutions The threat was reported through Safe2Tell, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. James Allbee, a law enforcement procedural expert, told FOX31's Kasia Kerridge that the sheriff's office jumped into action quickly, and the Safe2Tell report potentially saved 'a lot of lives,' noting a similar crisis in Golden earlier this week that ultimately was pinned on a cardboard prop gun. 'This one obviously is a little more serious and something that required all the resources to be utilized that had already been implemented, which is great,' Allbee said. There's a reason why this is all set up, there's a reason we have Safe2Tells, there's a reason why we have school resource officers and other resources quickly available to law enforcement that allows and enables them to move quickly and to be able to prevent mass casualty type of situations.' The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Denver Field Division also responded to the threat, as did the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. The Douglas County School District shared a letter sent by Ponderosa High School Principal Ryan Hollingshead to the school community after the boy's arrest and recommended charges were announced. The letter said that the sheriff's office determined there was no further concern to the school, and that counseling staff is available to support students who may need it. 'Our most important job is to keep everyone in our school safe,' Hollingshead wrote. 'We cannot always share information as we are trying to make decisions quickly. Our students and staff did a great job on Tuesday following our protocol when evacuating the school and moving to a safe location, then reoccupying the building once DCSO determined it was safe to do so.' Hollingshead said he can't share any further information about the investigation, but said appropriate disciplinary action will be taken. 'Always follow your instincts when you think you need to report something,' he wrote. 'I'm grateful and proud of the students who reported their concern in person and on Safe2Tell which allowed us to act quickly.' Allbee called the device an 'improvised explosive device' while speaking to Kerridge. 'With it being an improvised explosive device, an IED, these types of things are typically going to be homemade and are probably going to be able to get a search warrant for the house, and go through the web history and search history on computers and other devices to try to figure out exactly how this was manufactured,' Allbee said. On Tuesday, FOX31's Nicole Fierro spoke to Ponderosa High School students about the incident. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox 'We walk out to cop cars, like bomb squad, and then like, everyone was evacuated,' Ponderosa High School junior Cooper Norman said. 'I think everyone was just freaked out. You know, this was crazy. It was a shock to everybody.' Allbee called the incident 'heartbreaking.' 'I think it's heartbreaking for our community to see a 15-year-old, or any high school, junior high, elementary school student is that distraught with life that they think that's their only avenue to pursue, trying to create some mass casualty situation,' Allbee said. 'Unfortunately he's gotten himself into something that's going to live with him the rest of his life.' Ponderosa High School is in unincorporated Douglas County in a community called The Pinery. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
