Two Plattsmouth boys, ages 14 and 15, charged with terroristic threats in alleged school shooting plot will be released with electronic monitors and required to check in with probation before leaving homes.
Both boys will also undergo a mental status evaluation. The judge also ordered their homes be swept for any weapons or firearms before releasing the teens into the custody of their parents.
More details about the alleged plot that caused the district to cancel school on Wednesday were revealed during the pair's appearance in a Sarpy County court Friday. The alleged plot included using an airhorn to alert certain people to exit Plattsmouth High School; using a gun belonging to the father of one of the suspects to go on a shooting spree; and rip out the braces of an ex-girlfriend before killing her.
The prosecutor said one of the boys had told other students on more than on a occasion of his desire to shoot up the school and kill his ex-girlfriend. Investigators said both boys identified the weapon, belonging to one of their parents, as a Kriss Vector Firearm with a suppressor.
The parent appeared in court today and told the judge his son would never have been able to get the gun because all his guns are locked up in safes with codes known only to him.
The juvenile boys had been placed in the Sarpy County Juvenile Center after an extensive investigation by the Cass County Sheriff's Office, involving 16 deputies conducting 32 interviews over the course of 27 hours. Investigators determined the two boys did not have access to the gun they said would be used to shoot up the school because it was secured in another county.
According to a Cass County Sheriff's Office Facebook post, the Nebraska State Probation Office conducted the assessment of the two juveniles who made threat because "in Nebraska, unless a juvenile is being charged as an adult with a felony, only a probation officer can place a juvenile and determine where it is they are to be placed (not law enforcement)."
The post said the two biggest hurdles in the investigation were hearsay and the swarm of social media posts on the situation.
"During an investigation, it is essential that the contents and details of the case are not released until all suspects and witnesses have been properly interviewed and to allow any evidence to be collected. This eliminates the possibility of stories getting changed, to minimize any coercion and to avoid misleading possible witnesses."
The post also addressed the delay in information flow, about which some in the community had expressed concern.
"The integrity and focus of the investigation meant that we couldn't release details of the case to protective parents which flared anger and frustration. For this we apologize, but our priority was always the protection of every student, staff and in the end to reassure the parents that their child is in a safe environment in the Plattsmouth Community Schools."
