Teen accused of plotting 'Columbine-style' attack
BREWSTER, Wash. -- Police in this Eastern Washington city have arrested a teenager who was allegedly plotting a school shooting.
Okanogan County prosecutors said they plan to charge 17-year-old Charles Mustoe as an adult for planning an attack on Brewster High School.
Investigators said weapons were seized and Mustoe was booked into jail for investigation of first-degree conspiracy to commit assault.
The case came to the attention of Brewster police after a concerned parent in Canada contacted officers there and said her daughter was planning the attack with Mustoe.
The two teens apparently discussed in chatrooms and on Facebook a plan to carry out a "Columbine-style" shooting, and even considered launching the attack on the anniversary of the Colorado killings.
In one post, the girl asked Mustoe, "did you ever get that tec 9 semi automatic? Which guns do you have?"
Mustoe said he didn't have the TEC-9, but told her he had three shotguns, a .22 semi-automatic and five other guns.
"Our problem was that we weren't monitoring her closely enough," the girl's father said. "We've kind of opened our eyes to what can happen."
The 14-year-old girl lives on Vancouver Island, hundreds of miles away from Mustoe.
Police in Canada say the girl is not being treated as a suspect, and they are crediting her family with foiling the plot.
"He had a date picked out, and he already had some weapons," said Royal Canadian Mounted Police Staff Sgt. Lee Omilsuik. "This information is obviously very critical for us."
The girl's parents say they are trying to get their daughter some help, and they want their story to serve as a warning to other parents to watch what their kids are doing online.
"She was more wanting to hurt herself than to hurt others, but I don't know what would have happened had she gotten mixed up with this boy," her mom said.
Brewster Police Chief Ron Oules said the shooting was apparently being planned for next year.
"The administrations of possible schools involved have been notified by the Brewster Police Department," he said.
Mustoe was taken into custody on Saturday and is being held at the Okanogan County Juvenile Detention Center.
Okanogan County prosecutors said they plan to charge 17-year-old Charles Mustoe as an adult for planning an attack on Brewster High School.
Investigators said weapons were seized and Mustoe was booked into jail for investigation of first-degree conspiracy to commit assault.
The case came to the attention of Brewster police after a concerned parent in Canada contacted officers there and said her daughter was planning the attack with Mustoe.
The two teens apparently discussed in chatrooms and on Facebook a plan to carry out a "Columbine-style" shooting, and even considered launching the attack on the anniversary of the Colorado killings.
In one post, the girl asked Mustoe, "did you ever get that tec 9 semi automatic? Which guns do you have?"
Mustoe said he didn't have the TEC-9, but told her he had three shotguns, a .22 semi-automatic and five other guns.
"Our problem was that we weren't monitoring her closely enough," the girl's father said. "We've kind of opened our eyes to what can happen."
The 14-year-old girl lives on Vancouver Island, hundreds of miles away from Mustoe.
Police in Canada say the girl is not being treated as a suspect, and they are crediting her family with foiling the plot.
"He had a date picked out, and he already had some weapons," said Royal Canadian Mounted Police Staff Sgt. Lee Omilsuik. "This information is obviously very critical for us."
The girl's parents say they are trying to get their daughter some help, and they want their story to serve as a warning to other parents to watch what their kids are doing online.
"She was more wanting to hurt herself than to hurt others, but I don't know what would have happened had she gotten mixed up with this boy," her mom said.
Brewster Police Chief Ron Oules said the shooting was apparently being planned for next year.
"The administrations of possible schools involved have been notified by the Brewster Police Department," he said.
Mustoe was taken into custody on Saturday and is being held at the Okanogan County Juvenile Detention Center.
