MANSFIELD – Peer pressure played a large role in landing an 18-year-old Shelby student in juvenile court after he made a bomb threat to Shelby High School.
During a hearing on Wednesday, Judge Ron Spon determined the juvenile was a viable candidate for the court’s diversion program. However, his decision came after a lengthy discussion about choices and responsibility.
“You really stepped in it this time,” Spon said.
The student admitted to charges of attempting to induce panic related to a written bomb threat he made against Shelby High School on Oct. 23, 2015. He stated his actions were prompted by friends pressuring him into making the threat.
The juvenile’s identity is withheld for his protection.
Allegedly, the student’s friend told him that if he left a note in the boys’ bathroom at school, they would pick it up before anyone else got to it. The juvenile stated his friends pressured him for several days before he gave in and made the threat.
“I gave in to the peer pressure so they would leave me alone,” he stated in court.
The note written by the juvenile read “bomb on Monday at noon,” along with a smiley face. The juvenile taped the note to the back wall of a stall. Another student found the note and showed it to a teacher, and within three hours the Shelby Police Department arrested the juvenile.
In court, he stated he trusted that his friends would remove the note before anyone saw it. However, after leaving the note the juvenile said he quickly changed his mind and requested to go back to the restroom. His teacher refused his request, and the note was soon found.
“As the day went on I realized they’d set me up,” the juvenile said.
“One might use the word duped,” Spon responded.
The juvenile noted he was expelled from Shelby City Schools and has not seen or spoken with his “friends” since the incident. Instead, he said he has narrowed his circle of friends to only a few he can trust.
“Obviously they were not good friends and they were just using you,” Spon stated. “Sometimes it takes courage to do the right thing in situations of pressure.”
Both Spon and the juvenile’s attorney James J. Mayer III noted the student had no prior record with the court. In fact, Mayer pointed out, the juvenile was a standout wrestler and an above-average student often referred to as the class clown.
“I think this is an example of class clowning gone horribly wrong,” Mayer said.
Mayer pointed out that Shelby City Schools were not evacuated as a result of the threat, and he called the response of the Shelby Police Department a “minimal” one. However, Assistant Prosecutor Melissa Angst argued against these points.
“The entire Shelby Police Department responded to the scene, putting the citizens of Shelby at a greater risk,” Angst said. “Additionally, the threat was set for Monday, and there was a review of surveillance footage and handwriting analyses. That’s why there was no evacuation, because of the quick and hard work of the Shelby Police.”
Both attorneys agreed the juvenile’s actions were underscored by the seriousness of community-wide events. The Shelby threat came at the end of a month-long span of threats in school districts across Richland County.
“It’s important to understand this type of behavior will not be tolerated,” Angst said. “It helps schools and law enforcement emphasize to juveniles that there are ramifications.”
As part of the court’s diversion program, Spon did not issue a formal adjudication on Wednesday. The juvenile was ordered not to communicate any threats written or otherwise, not to appear on the property of Shelby City Schools unless authorized, and to write letters of apology to the high school principal and superintendent.
In addition, he was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service, to participate in one positive youth activity, and to actively seek employment. Currently the juvenile is completing his education via homeschooling and will graduate on time with his class in May. If he follows the rules, the juvenile will have his charges dismissed as if they never happened.
Spon emphasized to the juvenile there are more important things in life than gaining the admiration of peers.
“Honesty and doing the right thing are more important,” he said. “I think you know that, but for some reason you chose peer approval over doing the right thing.”
