DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — A 15-year-old boy was charged in Douglas County after he allegedly brought an explosive device to school earlier this month.
Around 9:30 a.m. on March 4, the school resource officer (SRO) at Ponderosa High School learned that a student may have brought a suspicious device to school in a backpack. The SRO found and detained the student and the backpack.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said its Bomb Squad examined the item while the school was evacuated. That device was later determined to be some type of explosive, deputies said later that day.
The incident forced students and staff to evacuate the high school for more than two hours while deputies and the sheriff’s office canvassed the school. No injuries were reported, and no other devices were found inside the school.
The boy, who is not being identified because he is a juvenile, was charged in the 23rd Judicial District with attempted murder after deliberation, attempted first-degree assault - extreme indifference, manufacturing an explosive or incendiary device, possession of an explosive or incendiary device, and interference with a school - credible threat. The first four charges are felonies, while the last charge is a misdemeanor. He also faces two sentence enhancers: aggravated juvenile offender and violent juvenile offender.
Ponderosa High School, part of the Douglas County School District, is located at 7007 Bayou Gulch Road outside the town of Parker.
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