HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Two of five teenagers accused of conspiring to carry out a shooting at Hutchinson High School were back in court Tuesday morning where one entered a “not guilty” plea to the charges, that being 16-year-old Takota Bowman (shown above).
Later, 16-year-old Dominic Collins was before Juvenile Judge Patty Macke Dick where his attorney asked that he be released from custody, arguing that his client had no history with the court or history of violence. Attorney Mike Robinson also argued that he has done well in detention. But Assistant District Attorney Cheryl Allen argued against it citing things the five had posted on their Facebook page called “KYOD,” which stands for “kill yourself or die.” She says they called themselves the “Kleybold’s.” That would be for Dylan Kleybold, one of the shooters in the Columbine massacre at a high school in Colorado. The others that were scheduled for hearings this afternoon were all continued including Jake Eels, Tylar Cabral and Andre Harris.
She says there are “disturbing similarities” in what these teens posted on Facebook on what they wanted to do at Hutch High and what happened at Columbine High School in 1999. She says they wanted to plant propane bombs in the cafeteria, then shoot people as they left, thinking they could kill as many as 200 students as they had lunch, then 400 more as they left the school. In another posting, she says they wanted to drive a semi through the school. She says they should stay in custody even though school is out. She says they could attack other things.
The teens deny they intended to hurt anyone, saying it was all just a joke, but the state isn’t taking the posting as just a joke.
Judge Patty Macke-Dick says she wants to err on the side of caution at this point and denied the request for Collins to be released from detention.
All five teens are charged with solicitation to commit first-degree murder and criminal threat. They were arrested in April after Hutchinson High School officials were alerted to postings on Facebook that threatened a mass murder at the school. They have all been held in juvenile detention since their arrests.
Still to be decided is whether the affidavits to the search warrants issued to law enforcement will be unsealed. A hearing on that motion will be held in front of Judge Joe McCarville.