• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Police Foil Teen's Bomb Plot on School

JackFrost

Banned
Joined
Jul 12, 2012
Messages
3,471
Reaction score
513
Location
El Monte, California
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Libertarian
Police Foil Teen's Bomb Plot on School - Yahoo!

Derek Shrout was arrested Friday after a teacher at Russell County High School found what appears to be the teen's journal and contacted authorities. Police said the journal contained plans to kill six students and one teacher with homemade grenades. Six of the seven individuals were black.
In the journal, police say that Shrout thought the white male on his list was gay.


Investigators say Shrout started writing in his journal just three days after a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14.
"The journal contained several plans that looked like potential terrorist attacks and attacks of violence and danger on the school," Taylor said.
Shrout told police that the journal was a work of fiction.


A search of Shrout's home turned up dozens of empty tobacco containers filled with shrapnel. The containers had holes in them ready for fuses to ignite. He hadn't obtained gunpowder, fuses or a substance to ignite the devices.
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

I wonder what law he broke?
 
Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

All it takes is time. Thanks to the media the kid thought he could get the attention. He would have too. This kid wasn't even going to use a gun too. Maybe some will look at this as more evidence for the lack of mental healthcare.
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

What was the shrapnel?
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

What was the shrapnel?
I am wondering about that. Nuts, bolts, and nails can be construed as “shrapnel”. Having a tin with a hole in the lid certainly is not something unheard, of either. Without the explosives or fuses, or evidence of him trying to obtain those, there may be difficulty convicting. I suppose it depends on exactly what the journal contains.
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

I wonder what law he broke?

I forgot to note he is being charged with attempted assault.

From another site:

The makeshift weapons were "a step or two away from being ready to explode," Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor said, according to WRBL. "The first thing I wanted to know was if you did exactly what he wrote, would it blow up? And everybody that I've consulted with has said that it would absolutely blow up exactly the way he wrote it."

Derek Shrout Bomb Plot: Russell County High School Teacher Thwarts Attack, Police In Alabama Say

It appears he explained in his journal how he made those explosive devices and what he intended to do with them.
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

I think we should start oppressive grenade legislation now. This way, when kids start to journal about killing several people by stabbing them to death, we can conduct federal raids on Benihana and arrest those conspirators.
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

More appropriately the story should read "school teacher foils plot".
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

He didn't commit a crime.

Edgar Allen Poe should have been locked up as well.
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

He didn't commit a crime.

Edgar Allen Poe should have been locked up as well.

Intent. Spin again.
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

I think we should start oppressive grenade legislation now. This way, when kids start to journal about killing several people by stabbing them to death, we can conduct federal raids on Benihana and arrest those conspirators.

I was thinking about this as well. At what point should police intervene? This was not just a teenager saying he was going to bomb several people. He had specific targets, a plan of attack, and even began the construction of explosive devices.
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

Intent. Spin again.

I know you need to prove intent to convict, but don't you also need a crime first?
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

I was thinking about this as well. At what point should police intervene? This was not just a teenager saying he was going to bomb several people. He had specific targets, a plan of attack, and even began the construction of explosive devices.

They should intervene when the threat is legitimate. First of all, he didn't have anything that was dangerous. I also hate to be the bearer of bad news for the kid, but even if he had everything that was listed...he still couldn't make a bomb.

From what I've seen, he had all the materials to make a bunch of noisemakers you'd see at a football game. Yeah, arrest him for that. Better yet, let's use the FBI to track everyone who buys aluminum foil and bathroom cleaner at the same time.
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

I know you need to prove intent to convict, but don't you also need a crime first?

See "war on terror" and get back to us. ;)
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

I wonder what law he broke?

Good question. How many males have ever said, after seeing an attractive female, "I'd like to get a piece of that", while carrying a concealed rape tool? While this situation is certainly more serious than that, it is, none the less, a fantasy or dream that shows "wrong thinking". While clearly a sign of serious mental health issues, it was not a violent crime, or even conspiracy to commit one. This situation, IMHO, should result in his involuntary commitment to a secure mental health facility, until such time as the juvenile is adjudged to no longer be a threat (if ever). It is also unclear, from the OP linked story, what circumstances led the teacher to find/read the student's "journal". This could well be the students intent, to get "caught" and gain the publicity, without any real intent to carry out the act. Carefully leaving out possesion of any actual explosives or fuses, but leaving a clear trail of "evidence" that got publicity without need to carry out any criminal act.
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

One phone call or an officer stopping by the house would have taken care of this inane horse-****.

Not that I'm sympathetic to this behavior. But we have enough felons already. Now, I guarantee you this kid will be a lifelong loser and criminal. I suppose welfare will take care of him....
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

Out of curiosity, would this have been a non-issue if the targets were straight and white?
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

Out of curiosity, would this have been a non-issue if the targets were straight and white?
:roll:
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

There is absolutely no reason to be sympathetic to this guy. For Gods sake...they managed to PREVENT a moron from at least attempting to kill 7 people (and whoever else may have been around them). Lets count this a win and throw the little sonofabitch into a cell with some new best friends...30-40 years sounds about right. And then lets make his life in prison a reality show so any other little jagoff contemplating such behavior might have real second thoughts about it. Get off the train to namby pamby land. Actions have consequences. This kid should be hit with every possible charge they can make stick.
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

There is absolutely no reason to be sympathetic to this guy. For Gods sake...they managed to PREVENT a moron from at least attempting to kill 7 people (and whoever else may have been around them). Lets count this a win and throw the little sonofabitch into a cell with some new best friends...30-40 years sounds about right. And then lets make his life in prison a reality show so any other little jagoff contemplating such behavior might have real second thoughts about it. Get off the train to namby pamby land. Actions have consequences. This kid should be hit with every possible charge they can make stick.

So if I go to a bar and yell, "You're lucky I don't beat your ass" I should be charged with conspiracy to commit assault?
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

Which will be cheaper? Welfare or Federal custody for 30-40 years?

There is absolutely no reason to be sympathetic to this guy. For Gods sake...they managed to PREVENT a moron from at least attempting to kill 7 people (and whoever else may have been around them). Lets count this a win and throw the little sonofabitch into a cell with some new best friends...30-40 years sounds about right. And then lets make his life in prison a reality show so any other little jagoff contemplating such behavior might have real second thoughts about it. Get off the train to namby pamby land. Actions have consequences. This kid should be hit with every possible charge they can make stick.
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

If someone were to write fictitious events down, including how to make grenades and blowing people up, they would do it as the basis for a novel. They wouldn't write it down in a personal diary or journal. While it seems harmless, since he wasn't able to carry out his plans, the problem is he had the thought to do it. And obviously he had done research on how to do it. I am glad he was taken into custody NOW instead of AFTER 7 people potentially suffered the consequences.
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

While clearly a sign of serious mental health issues, it was not a violent crime, or even conspiracy to commit one.
It was not a conspiracy only because that requires two people communicating together. If this journal was a joint collaboration, or was a means of communicating between 2 accused it is likely to be a lot easier to prosecute.

As for the charges in question, here is the basic theory for attempted assault. For AL I believe that would be this particular charge.
 
Re: Plan To Throw Grenades At Six Blacks & 1 Gay Foiled By Police!

So if I go to a bar and yell, "You're lucky I don't beat your ass" I should be charged with conspiracy to commit assault?

Not at all. You should be required to buy a round for the house as an idiot penalty. Now, if you walk into the bar with a baseball bat and yell "Luther, I'm going to kick your ass" that's a different story as you have obvious intent and means to harm a specific target.

This kid had apparently laid out a plan, selected targets and started to assemble the means to carry out his plan. If Tim McVeigh had been stopped at that point we wouldn't have had the Oklahoma City event.

It's MUCH better to nab the little freak now before someone gets hurt.
 
Back
Top Bottom