Suspected Oregon teen bomb plotter due in court

By Teresa Carson

CORVALLIS, Oregon (Reuters) - An Oregon teenager arrested on suspicion of making explosives and plotting what police said was a Columbine-style attack on his high school was due in court on Tuesday to face charges in the case.

Grant Acord, 17, was taken into custody at his mother's home on Thursday after police got a tip that he had produced a bomb and was planning to detonate it at West Albany High School, some 70 miles southwest of Portland.

A search of the residence in north Albany turned up six home-made explosives, including pipe bombs, Molotov cocktails and napalm bombs under the floorboards of Acord's bedroom, authorities say.

Prosecutors were expected to file attempted murder charges against Acord at the afternoon hearing in Corvallis, Oregon. Under Oregon law, he would be tried as an adult.

A Corvallis criminal defense lawyer for Acord could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

"My heart goes out to everyone affected by Grant's struggle with PANDAS, a rare form of OCD," the boy's mother, Marianne Fox, said in a statement released through her attorney, Alan Lanker.

"I grieve for my son, but understand and support the efforts of law enforcement to keep our beloved community safe," Fox said. "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."

Lanker said that Acord's parents were divorced and that the boy lives primarily with his mother.

In their search of the residence, officers also discovered diagrams of the high school, which "led us toward the conclusion that he was planning a Columbine-style attack," according to Captain Eric Carter of the Albany Police Department.

Carter was referring to the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School near Littleton, Colorado, in which two teenagers armed with guns and home-made bombs killed a teacher and 12 other students before committing suicide.

"He was definitely following a detailed checklist," Carter said of Acord. "It appears he had a systematic, well-documented plan, this was not just an errant note."

According to the website of the International OCD Foundation, PANDAS stands for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus. It says the disorder is caused by an immune reaction to strep and the symptoms are similar to those of childhood obsessive compulsive disorder and tic disorders.

(Writing and additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Leslie Adler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/oregon-teen-due-court-face-charges-alleged-school-183316091.html

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