Saturday, August 21, 1999
Boy gets at least a year for taking shotgun to school
Time served may reduce sentence
BY CHRISTINE WOLFF
The Cincinnati Enquirer
GEORGETOWN — The boy who brought a shotgun into Western Brown High School last April was sentenced Friday to spend at least a year in juvenile detention.
Judge Ronald Dvorachek of Brown County Juvenile Court sentenced the 16-year-old to two consecutive terms of a minimum of six months each. The boy, who was 15 when arrested April 23, could be held until age 21.
The judge said he will decide later whether the time the boy already has spent in juvenile detention will count toward an early release date.
The boy, whom the Enquirer is not naming because of his age, was found guilty Tuesdayof two felonies: bringing a firearm into a school and inducing panic. Judge Dvorachek cleared the boy of a third felony charge of attempted murder.
The outcome is “somewhat bittersweet” for the family of the teen-ager the defendant had threatened to shoot in a dispute over a girl. The gun-toting incident happened three days after the violence at Colorado's Columbine High School.
The threatened teen's father, Greg Lang Sr., said the family is disappointed the state failed to have the boy prosecuted as an adult and that the judge dropped the attempted-murder charge.
“My son was not the only one in danger that day,” Mr. Lang said. “At least with this, they can get him (the defen dant) the help he needs.”
Brown County Prosecutor Tom Grennan said Friday he felt the attempted-murder charge was justified. The boy had sawed off a shotgun the night before. He then called several friends and said he was going to shoot the other teen, who had taken the boy's girlfriend to Eastgate Mall.
Ed Harp, the boy's attorney, said the boy changed his mind about the shooting and took the gun to school only to scare off his rival for the girl.
“The boy did not voluntarily give up his plan,” said Mr. Grennan. “His plan was interrupted by two other boys,” who told officials about the gun.
The gun was not removed from a duffel bag or loaded at the Mount Orab school, though the boy had 11 rounds of ammunition with him.
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