$2M Bond Set For Oregon Teen in Bomb Plot
A judge in Albany, Ore., set bond Tuesday at $2 million for a teenager accused of plotting to bomb his high school.
Grant Acord, 17, was arraigned as an adult on charges including one count of attempted aggravated murder and six counts of manufacturing and possessing a destructive device, authorities said. He did not enter a plea during his court appearance, where he appeared via video monitor from jail. He remained in custody after the hearing.
Dressed in a jail-orange shirt with a gray sweatshirt over the top, Acord stood in front of a microphone, frowning and looking down, the Corvallis Gazette-Times reported. He spoke on only two occasions – to confirm that he could hear the judge and to confirm that he understood the terms of his bail and potential release.
Acord's goal, said Benton County District Attorney John Haroldson, "was to model the Columbine shootings with some adjustments that would make it a greater success."
Acord's mother, Marianne Fox, says he suffers from a rare form of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
"My heart goes out to everyone affected by Grant's struggle with PANDAS, a rare form of OCD," she said through her attorney, CNN reported.
"I grieve for my son but understand and support the efforts of law enforcement to keep our beloved community safe," Fox added. "This is a challenging and confusing time for everyone who knows Grant. I will have no further comment while I wait with the rest of you to see what unfolds."
PANDAS, which stands for pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcus, is caused by the body's immune reaction to a strep infection, not the infection itself, according to the International OCD Foundation.
There are no clear diagnostic criteria for PANDAS, according to the PANDAS Network, which says the disorder is marked by a rapid onset and intensification of obsessive-compulsive behaviors
Alan Lanker, the attorney for the mother, said Acord has received treatment, but said he did not know the details.
"He's very mentally ill. He has PANDAS. It's a brain infection that's causing a mental illness. It's been their concern for some time," Lanker said.
Police found six types of explosives after they arrested Acord on Thursday night at a home in Albany, Haroldson said. Authorities believe he was planning to bomb West Albany High School.
They recovered napalm, pipe and drain cleaner bombs, as well as Molotov cocktails Friday from "a secret compartment that had been created in the floorboards" of the teen's bedroom, Haroldson said.
In his writings, Acord appeared to compare himself to Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the teenagers who killed 13 people and wounded 21 others at Columbine High School shooting in 1999, according to the probable-cause affidavit. The two high school seniors committed suicide after they staged their orchestrated attack.
“Light and throw napalm, unzip bag and begin firing. Cooly state: the Russian grim reaper is here. .. Kill myself before SWAT engages me,” he wrote in one of the plans seized from his room.
Oregon TV station KATU reports that Acord approached some of his classmates to talk about making bombs in the weeks before his arrest.
Fellow West Albany High student Thomas Stone said Acord approached him in class two weeks ago and began talking about bomb-making materials.
“He was just, just kind of randomly came up to us and started talking about the different materials that you need to make a bomb,” Stone said. “Like, he was describing how to make one, which thinking back should have brought up more suspicion.”
Student Keagan Boggs said he heard Acord had approached some of his friends talking about bombs.
“It wasn’t like ‘Oh, I’m making bombs, I’m gonna blow stuff up,’” Boggs said. “It was just talking about it, like something that you wouldn’t really think like ‘Oh, he’s gonna blow something up. Like a school.’”
The indictment and police affidavit outlining the charges can be found here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/144282123/Oregon-HS-Bomb-Plot-Docs
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