(traditional LBO thread: third way terrorists)
NOVEMBER 27, 06:32 EST
By RICHARD LEWIS Associated Press Writer Eric McKeehan
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) ― A group of teens accused of plotting a Columbine-style massacre at their high school had planned to hide weapons in black trenchcoats and come out of a bathroom shooting, according to an alleged accomplice's statements to police.
Three teens ― brothers Eric McKeehan, 17, and Michael McKeehan, 15; and Steven Jones, 15 ― have already been charged in the plot to kill ``thugs, preps, and faculty'' at New Bedford High School. Now police say two more will also face charges, among them the girl who detailed the plot for police, Amy Lee Bowman, 17.
Bowman was to be summoned to court Tuesday and an unidentified 16-year-old boy on Wednesday for arraignment, police said.
The students allegedly modeled themselves after the two teen-agers who carried out the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colo. Police were tipped off to the plot by a note discovered by a janitor and other evidence in addition to Bowman's disclosure. School and city officials said they believe the plan would likely have gone forward if authorities had not intervened.
The McKeehans and Jones planned to videotape their killing spree, then climb onto the school's roof before shooting each other, according to a police report released Monday. They were arrested at their homes Saturday after the janitor found the letter outlining their alleged plot, which also included detonating explosives.
Police searching Michael McKeehan's bedroom found Satanic masks, a meat cleaver, an ax and a photograph of Adolf Hitler, according to a report following his arrest. They found a bomb recipe book in a locked room in his basement, authorities said.
Police also discovered spent cartridges from five different types of guns, and torture devices.
Eric McKeehan pleaded innocent Monday to charges of conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and possession of ammunition. He was ordered held without bail.
Michael McKeehan and Jones also were being held after pleading innocent to the same charges in closed juvenile court hearings.
Police said Bowman and the 16-year-old boy would face the same charges as the other three students. It was not immediately clear what their role in the alleged plot would have been. Bowman told authorities she came forward with the information on Nov. 5 because she did not want to see a favorite teacher killed, according to the police report.
Acting Gov. Jane Swift, a mother of three, said authorities responded appropriately to the threats.
``As a parent, I don't think you can overreact in this situation,'' she said. ``Unfortunately, unimaginable things have happened in schools around our country, and we have got to take very seriously any threat.''
Michael McKeehan's public defender, Alan Zwirblis, told The Standard Times the evidence against his client is ``sketchy'' and ``very contradictory.''
The school opened Monday, but nearly half of the 3,300 students stayed home. Dozens of officers and five bomb-sniffing dogs had searched the school, but found nothing.
``When you start to think about what could possibly have happened, and the tragedy that could have taken place, you feel good that the students feel comfortable going to faculty members and that they didn't hold it in or ignore it and walk away from it,'' superintendent Joseph Silva said.
A police report shows Jones told police Nov. 13 that he and the McKeehan brothers often talked about ``violent things'' but that ``it is only talk.''
The boys' mothers defended their sons, saying the allegations had been exaggerated.
Susan St. Hilaire, Jones' mother, said the charges were based on rumors and hearsay.
``These