Oregon Teen Accused of Bringing Homemade Bomb to School
Police say device was found in student’s locker.
-- A 16-year-old boy is in jail after allegedly bringing a homemade bomb to his high school in St. Helens, Oregon.
The student at St. Helens High School, near Portland, showed off the device he made to friends at school Friday morning, police said. Those friends then told school officials, who called police and quickly evacuated the high school.
“I was shocked. Who would bring that to school?" Kenny Collord, a friend, told ABC News affiliate KATU.
Collord said the boy told him that he made the bomb.
"I guess his intention wasn’t to scare the school," he said. "He just brought it.”
Police said the homemade bomb was “explosive and certainly dangerous.”
“It could have hurt somebody,” said Lt. Terry Moss of the St. Helens Police Department. “To what end, I don’t know. We aren’t talking about a situation where you are going to blow up the whole school but certainly someone could’ve been hurt.”
After the school was evacuated, students were bussed to a local elementary school as police and a bomb squad investigated. During a sweep, police said they found the homemade bomb in the student’s locker.
The student didn't threaten to do anything with the homemade bomb, police said.
After the all clear, students were allowed to return to class but many opted to go home.
The student, who hasn't been identified by police, faces several felony charges for possessing and manufacturing an explosive device and for disorderly conduct. He's scheduled to face a judge on Monday.