A judge says 13-year-old will get credit for time already served and must enter a Utah treatment program as part of probation.
PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — A 14-year-old Pierce County boy accused of making school-shooting threats and posting violent material online was sentenced on Wednesday to time already served in detention and probation, with a judge ordering him into an out-of-state treatment program.
The judge ordered that the teen have no unsupervised internet access and reminded him that, as a convicted felon, he cannot possess or access firearms. The court said probation would begin immediately as he transitions to treatment.
The teen was sentenced to nine months of probation, including a court-ordered stay at a residential treatment program in Utah. After completing that program, he can return home but will remain under supervision for the rest of his probation.
The teen, who was age 13 when he made threats, had been charged in juvenile court with attempted threat to bomb or injure a school, unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree and unlawful possession of fireworks, according to court records.
At sentencing Wednesday, the judge declined to impose a harsher exceptional sentence sought by prosecutors, instead sentencing the teen within the standard range and ordering probation tied to treatment at Embark, a program in Utah. The prosecutor said the sentence amounted to 90 days total with credit for time served and nine months of probation.
The prosecutor said the teen had already received credit for 221 days served in detention at Remann Hall. A state prosecutor told KING 5 that the teen does not face additional jail time right now, but could be brought back to court and face more detention if he violates supervision. Once probation ends, the attorney said, the teen will no longer be supervised, though the convictions will remain on his record.
During the hearing, the judge called the case “everyone’s biggest fear” and said the material reviewed by the court was “horrifying,” while also saying the law did not support a manifest upward sentence on the facts presented. The judge also denied a request for a deferred disposition, citing continued concerning behavior while the teen was in custody.
Video shown by prosecutors during sentencing included footage from a camera set up in the teen’s bedroom, where prosecutors said he spoke about carrying out a shooting and referenced a goal of “10 plus,” which the judge confirmed to reference a number of desired victims. In the video, the teen is heard discussing plans in vague terms, at times indiscernible, saying an attack would happen and expressing a desire to be among the most “successful” attackers, citing a target number of people he hoped to kill. The judge called the statements “horrifying,” noting they underscored the seriousness of the case and the risk posed to the community.
Probation staff told the court they remained concerned about what they described as the teen’s fascination with historical school shooters and desire to carry out a school shooting. Prosecutors also argued he remained a serious danger to the community and urged a longer confinement sentence in a juvenile rehabilitation setting.
Defense attorneys and the teen’s mother argued for treatment instead of a longer incarceration, telling the court the family had struggled to find appropriate mental health care and that Embark would provide specialized therapy, family treatment and a structured setting.
Court records show investigators previously said they found numerous firearms and ammunition in the family’s home, along with loaded magazines bearing writings referencing mass shootings, including Columbine. Detectives also described online posts and bedroom writings that they said pointed to planning behavior and an obsession with past school attacks.
The teen spoke at the end, telling the judge, “I want to give a thousand thanks to you and your sentence. I think it’s fair.”
To ensure diverse coverage and expert insight across a wide range of topics, our publication features contributions from multiple staff writers with varied areas of expertise.
