“Insufficient Evidence,” Says DA and Releases Juveniles Arrested for Allegedly Planning a Mass Casualty Event

District Attorney DA BlurAccording to a press release from the District Attorney’s Office, authorities must release the two juveniles arrested last week for allegedly plotting a mass casualty attack. “To date the investigation has yielded no evidence that either juvenile had the means to create an item that could be a health hazard,” states the release issued yesterday.

The Fortuna Police Department issued its own press release that declared, “the Fortuna Police Department will continue to follow up on any new information related to this case.”

Below are the two statements from the different agencies.

First the press release from the District Attorney’s Office :

This press release provides current information from the Humboldt County District Attorney’s perspective on the potential threat to public safety at Fortuna High School last Thursday.

Based on statements by students, Fortuna High School staff and the Fortuna Police Department responded immediately to a potential threat and took appropriate action. The ensuing investigation resulted in the FBI and Fortuna Police Department serving search warrants on the homes and computer devices of the two juveniles suspected of plotting an attack at an assembly. To date the investigation has yielded no evidence that either juvenile had the means to create an item that could be a health hazard – one individual possessed approximately 2 grams (< 0.1 ounces) of sulfur, a readily available legal product with a variety of uses. Further, there is insufficient evidence to indicate the two juveniles conspired to commit an attack.

The FBI and Fortuna Police Department continue to investigate the case, but at this point the evidence does not support filing of state criminal charges against the two individuals involved.

Second, the press release from the Fortuna Police Department:

The Fortuna Police Department has been made aware that the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office will not be bringing charges at this time against the two 15 year-old boys arrested on November 10, 2016 at Fortuna High School.

The Fortuna Police Department has worked tirelessly over the last 6 days investigating this case with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of investigation. We have followed every lead and conducted multiple searches in regards to this case. The safety of the students and citizens of Fortuna never wavered and was a paramount concern during this investigation.

Although no charges will be filed at this time, the Fortuna Police Department will continue to follow up on any new information related to this case.

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34 Comments
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Mogtx
Guest
7 years ago

I’m glad for the kids , yet it was horrifying to think our youths were capable of such thing s. I bet the kids were tramatized .maybe this experience will deturn them to change , for the better.

Mr. Bear
Guest
Mr. Bear
7 years ago
Reply to  Mogtx

Why would they need to change for the better if they did nothing wrong?

I assumed from the start this was blown out of proportion.

Terry L. Clark
Guest
Terry L. Clark
7 years ago

Having seen so many instances where Persecutors, er, Prosecutors, pile Charges on, and/or Charge crimes they can’t prove in order to punish the accused anyhow through the ordeal and expense of a Trial, this is a very pleasant surprise. Well done DA Fleming!

Ernie Branscomb
Guest
Ernie Branscomb
7 years ago

When I was in high school some kids made a “stink-bomb” (not me!) out of some sulfur and charcoal. They got expelled for a week and they became the most talked about kids in school. Everybody got a laugh out of it. Times have sure changed…

Bill
Guest
Bill
7 years ago

I’m glad that law enforcement is willing to err on the side of caution. If these kids did something that harmed others and nothing had been done about it, law enforcement would be blamed. Overreacting, in my opinion, is better that underreacting and ending up with a tragedy.

Randum
Guest
Randum
7 years ago

What a tremendous waste of money. Anyone have an idea of how we can repair the damage done? Erase all the fear?

Life is Good
Guest
Life is Good
7 years ago
Reply to  Randum

Find your safe space and hide in it.

Realwood
Guest
Realwood
7 years ago
Reply to  Randum

I wonder whats next…are they going to sue the DA office for defamation of character? What a circus.

Diane
Guest
Diane
7 years ago

if they’re so innocent,why did they contact another student and tell him no to go to the assembly?? sounds like they had intent to me!! wtf ever…..no charges…….just sweep it under the rug too!!

TC
Guest
TC
7 years ago

People are so hyper sensitive these days, when i was in high school i took mace to school and sprayed it in every class so we would have to go out in the yard while it aired out,,these days i’d be arrested..ha!

Julianne
Guest
Julianne
7 years ago
Reply to  TC

No you wouldn’t be arrested nor charged —at least here anyway. Did you read the story by any chance?

Martinman
Guest
Martinman
7 years ago
Reply to  TC

People are so hypersensitive these days? Well, with good reason. The homicide rate in Humboldt Co is frightening, a mass shooting takes place just about everyday in this country & there’s an armed robber(s) traumatizing our community how many times lately, 9? And not getting caught? Having worked with adolescents in the juvenile justice system for years, I saw more than anyone could imagine – we all need to keep our third eye on!

Just-me
Guest
Just-me
7 years ago

I bet law enforcement would have charged them if they weren’t white. What if they were musslum or latino? Would we be saying that the school was over reacting?

Realwood
Guest
Realwood
7 years ago
Reply to  Just-me

No..its the other way around now..get with the times. “Whites” are always the bad guy. Actually.. Caucasian American please.

Realwood
Guest
Realwood
7 years ago
Reply to  Realwood

…I think their “white” asses need to be put away myself.

Life is Good
Guest
Life is Good
7 years ago
Reply to  Just-me

Spell much?

Guest
Guest
Guest
7 years ago
Reply to  Just-me

How do know they are white? Keep your race shit to yourself, it’s there actions that need to be judged regardless of race

Realwood
Guest
Realwood
7 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Just responding to just-me’s racist comment. Notice the quotations around “white”? Funny how people love getting riled up over this shit though.

hmm
Guest
hmm
7 years ago
Reply to  Just-me

race baiter

B
Guest
B
7 years ago

If these students are allowed to return to school, every parent should keep their child home until they are expelled.

Children’s lives are not to be gambled with.

Grace
Guest
Grace
7 years ago

Something is not right. I went back through the stories and they contradict each other. Fortuna police chief Dobberstien is quoted saying they found multiple incindiary devices and components to make explosives on November 12 journal news blog, but now the da says there’s no evidence. These kids are going back to school? Wtf? We need to demand answers and these kids need to be expelled. I smell a coverup and I worry for our children’s safety. Concerned parents need to demand answers.

Realwood
Guest
Realwood
7 years ago
Reply to  Grace

Grace..thats exactly what I’ve been thinking. Whats up with this shady shit? It went from explosives to mustard gas, to nothing at all. Maybe they were just doing a science project like good little boys…bullshit!

Hick
Guest
Hick
7 years ago

DON’T MOVE! PUT YOUR HANDS UP! GET DOWN!

Realwood
Guest
Realwood
7 years ago
Reply to  Hick

…DON’T MOVE! GET UP! YOU’RE FREE TO GO NOW!

For Real
Guest
For Real
7 years ago

So a kid gets ahold of some sulfur prills his dad uses to control PM on their greeny and it becomes a terrorist act? Wow!

Realwood
Guest
Realwood
7 years ago
Reply to  For Real

Where did the investigators get the term “mass casualty” from? Those little fuckers had something planned…just because they’re dipshits & couldn’t pull it off doesn’t make it ok.

someone
Guest
someone
7 years ago
Reply to  Realwood

THERE WAS NO PLAN, I’M GLAD FBI WAS CONTACTED FOR INVESTIGATING! I’d like to see as much media about this as we had people being mean to just OUTRAGEOS!!!!!!! dID YOU NOT READ WHAT THE fbi RELEASED! IF they had a plan, FBI would have found it! Posts needed: YAY those kids aren’t as bad AS EVERYONE SAID! yay: THERE WAS NO THREAT TO ANYONE!

Michael
Guest
Michael
7 years ago
Reply to  For Real

They had some Ethylene powder as well….if they combined these…bad stuff woulda resulted..

Charlie
Guest
Charlie
7 years ago
Reply to  Michael

I don’t think so. For starters Ethylene is a gas at room temps and pressure.

They could have simply burned the Sulpher to produce its Dioxide which is a choking toxic gas. Very simple!

As to making mustard gas they had as much chance as I have flying by flapping my ears unless they have access to a LOT of esoteric chemicals and equipment.

Phosgene would be much easier and even there you have to have the precursor chemicals and the equipment.

I don’t know what their game was but they sure stirred up a feces storm and there are probably penalties for “joking” about something like this. It sure was dumb!

RefFan
Guest
RefFan
7 years ago

So no punishment for what they were planning? Telling a friend not to go to a rally because something was going to happen seems like that’s sufficient enough to serve some kind of punishment. Maybe the school will just suspend them for a while?

someone
Guest
someone
7 years ago
Reply to  RefFan

THERE WAS NO PLAN! THE FBI WOULD HAVE FOUND IT! READ THE ARTICLE

Realwood
Guest
Realwood
7 years ago
Reply to  someone

Just because it wasn’t a written formula in plain english for our dumb FBI to understand don’t mean it ain’t so. They just couldn’t find enough evidence for it to fly in court. The plan was in their minds but they just opened their goofy mouths a bit too much..just not enough to press charges. All im sayin is people need to keep an eye on those kids.

jayne dough
Guest
jayne dough
7 years ago
Reply to  Realwood

There WASN”T enough evidence, people NEED TO STOP SAYING all kinds of HORRIBLE remarks about this…NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE means NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE! THERE WAS NNNNOOOOO PLAN!!!!! Proven…no plan/evidence!!! INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY…except in SOCIAL MEDIA!!!!!!! Stop acting like little children yourselves!!!! I GUESS PROVEN INNOCENT ISN’T ACCEPTABLE! Stop being so closed minded!!!! Years ago, at my kids school, 2 boys were talking about shooting up the school…they had drawn a MAP and had a LIST of names…That’s a PLAN! What happened to those boys…NOTHING…and they were 10-12 yrs old,and they had access to guns! THERE WAS NO PLAN, THE FBI HAS PROVEN THAT, YA’LL NEED TO CALM THE HECK DOWN! YOUR KIDS HAVE HEARD EVERY NEGATIVE THING YOU’VE SAID AND PUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA………SHAME ON YOU “ADULTS”!

Realwood
Guest
Realwood
7 years ago
Reply to  jayne dough

OK OJ. I guess the glove doesn’t fit.