A southern Utah teen accused of trying to ignite an explosive device at Pine View High School heard some of the evidence against him in juvenile court on Friday.
A preliminary hearing began for the 17-year-old boy, who is charged with first-degree felony attempted murder and possession of a weapon of mass destruction, along with misdemeanor graffiti and abuse of a flag.
The hearing is the first step for prosecutors to seek to have the juvenile’s charges moved to the adult court system. Washington County Attorney Brock Belnap confirmed Friday that prosecutors are seeking to have the teen tried as an adult through the Serious Youth Offender Act.
That act requires the state to file charges in juvenile court against minors accused of certain serious felony offenses so a judge can determine whether the case should be moved to adult court or remain in the juvenile system.
During Friday’s hearing, an FBI agent testified about the homemade explosive that police say the teen tried to detonate at Pine View High School on March 5.
FBI Special Agent Michael Truebenbach testified he concluded that it was an “improvised incendiary device,” Fox13 News reported. The device had a fuse leading into a metal can, Truebenbach testified, with gasoline in plastic bottles to act as fuel. There were also metal balls in the device, according to Fox13.
According to court records, the teen is seen on surveillance footage placing the backpack against a vending machine.
Court records say the teen opened the backpack and lit the fuse, which was made of gunpowder and tape. The fuse didn’t light the first time, so he again used a match, with the fuse catching the second time. As it started to smoke, he walked away.
The school was evacuated after students noticed smoke coming from the backpack.
But the fuse smoldered out, according to charges, and the explosive never detonated. No one was hurt.
The teen was detained and taken to the St. George Police Department, where he admitted to bringing the device to school and trying to detonate it, according to court records.
The FBI agent was the only witness who testified on Friday. Belnap said other witnesses are expected to testify at a hearing that will be scheduled at a later date.
The Tribune generally does not name juvenile defendants unless they are certified to stand trial as adults.
Police determined that the teen was also behind a Feb. 15 incident where an ISIS flag was raised at Hurricane High School in place of an American flag and spray painted “ISIS is comi” across 25 feet of an exterior wall. The teen told police he made the flag himself.
