Summit teens' plot called 'really scary'

[Guest guest]

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595065621,00.html

Deseret Morning News, Tuesday, May 25, 2004

Summit teens' plot called 'really scary'

News is no surprise to a Columbine survivor and mom

By Dobner

Deseret Morning News

Two Summit County teens appear to have mapped out a rudimentary tactical plan

for carrying out an assault on students and staff at their South Summit High

School, according to new information found over the weekend by police.

Donna

Informants also have told police the pair talked about taking their victims " out

into the desert to kill them, " and at least one boy is now known to have been

trying to obtain the necessary firearms, Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds said

Monday.

" Thursday and Friday last week I was reasonably sure there was going to be some

kind of violence. . . . Right now, I'm about 100 percent sure, " Edmunds said. " I

think it's really scary. "

Detectives discovered a detailed school map with specific entrances and exits

highlighted among the hundreds of documents taken from the lockers of the two

15-year-old boys last week. The confiscated writings and drawings, which were

found as police and school officials searched lockers for drugs, included

graphic images of violence and sex acts, some also inscribed with the names of

specific victims.

Information about attempts to purchase firearms was obtained through several

student witnesses who approached police after the boys were arrested last

Wednesday, Edmunds said.

The news from Summit County is chilling but not surprising to Donna and

her son, Mark, who was shot and wounded at Colorado's Columbine High School on

April 20, 1999. The s are in Salt Lake, a stopover point for a series of

lectures Mark is doing in Western states.

" Every time I hear about one of these, it's like living it all over again, "

Donna said. " You can't imagine how upsetting it is. "

Columbine remains the most deadly school shooting in U.S. history. Thirteen died

and more than 20 were wounded. Mark suffered seven gunshot wounds.

Now he tours the country talking about his experience and lecturing about the

dangers of the anti-depressant drugs known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake

Inhibitors (SSRI), which he believes are the underlying cause of what happened

that April day.

Mark

Harmon, Deseret Morning News

Reports from the Columbine investigation indicate that shooter was

taking the SSRI drug Luvox. Records of the other shooter, Dylan Klebold, have

not been made public, although he was reportedly taking an herbal supplement

recommended to combat depression, according to news reports.

" I don't blame the two killers for what they did; when you take these pills, you

don't know what you are doing, " said Mark , who sued Solvay Pharmaceutical

after the shooting. " It was the pills. "

West Jordan bio-psychologist Ann Blake , with whom the s make

appearances, has researched SSRI drugs for 15 years. She said brain research

shows they can leave some in a seizure- or dream-like state, rendering them

unable to remember their actions. An author, often testifies in court

cases and before the FDA, and she runs the International Coalition for Drug

Awareness, www.drugawareness.org, an online clearing house for information about

adverse reactions to prescription drugs.

Research, study and real-life incidents from shootings and suicides across the

country support the belief that the drugs can do more harm than good, she said.

And yet, the drugs continue to be prescribed and sold to millions.

" I heard the (Summit County) story on the radio, and my first reaction was, 'I

can't believe it's happening again,' " she said. " It's like an unreal nightmare,

and nobody can see the picture. "

Edmunds said he does not know if either of the South Summit students had been or

is taking anti-depressants or was under the care of a physician or mental health

care professional.

" We'll be looking at it, " he said. " But the detectives are still gathering

evidence, and we just haven't gotten there yet. "

In conversations with detectives so far, neither boy has mentioned the drugs,

nor have they mentioned any kind of relationships at school, such as teasing or

harassment, that might have triggered violent behaviors, Edmunds said.

" Right now, they're both pretty much in full-blown denial mode that they are

angry about anything, " Edmunds said, adding he believes the behavior of the two

students is " more pervasive than people realize. "

Both boys are suspended from school and have been in the custody of their

parents. But Edmunds said Monday that based on the newly discovered, more

specific threat information, the pair would be re-arrested and booked into a

Salt Lake County juvenile detention facility.

He also said he expects new information about the case to continue to dribble

in, even though the school year ends at South Summit on Friday.

E-mail: jdobner@...

© 2004 Deseret News Publishing Company

[Guest guest]

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595065621,00.html

Deseret Morning News, Tuesday, May 25, 2004

Summit teens' plot called 'really scary'

News is no surprise to a Columbine survivor and mom

By Dobner

Deseret Morning News

Two Summit County teens appear to have mapped out a rudimentary tactical plan

for carrying out an assault on students and staff at their South Summit High

School, according to new information found over the weekend by police.

Donna

Informants also have told police the pair talked about taking their victims " out

into the desert to kill them, " and at least one boy is now known to have been

trying to obtain the necessary firearms, Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds said

Monday.

" Thursday and Friday last week I was reasonably sure there was going to be some

kind of violence. . . . Right now, I'm about 100 percent sure, " Edmunds said. " I

think it's really scary. "

Detectives discovered a detailed school map with specific entrances and exits

highlighted among the hundreds of documents taken from the lockers of the two

15-year-old boys last week. The confiscated writings and drawings, which were

found as police and school officials searched lockers for drugs, included

graphic images of violence and sex acts, some also inscribed with the names of

specific victims.

Information about attempts to purchase firearms was obtained through several

student witnesses who approached police after the boys were arrested last

Wednesday, Edmunds said.

The news from Summit County is chilling but not surprising to Donna and

her son, Mark, who was shot and wounded at Colorado's Columbine High School on

April 20, 1999. The s are in Salt Lake, a stopover point for a series of

lectures Mark is doing in Western states.

" Every time I hear about one of these, it's like living it all over again, "

Donna said. " You can't imagine how upsetting it is. "

Columbine remains the most deadly school shooting in U.S. history. Thirteen died

and more than 20 were wounded. Mark suffered seven gunshot wounds.

Now he tours the country talking about his experience and lecturing about the

dangers of the anti-depressant drugs known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake

Inhibitors (SSRI), which he believes are the underlying cause of what happened

that April day.

Mark

Harmon, Deseret Morning News

Reports from the Columbine investigation indicate that shooter was

taking the SSRI drug Luvox. Records of the other shooter, Dylan Klebold, have

not been made public, although he was reportedly taking an herbal supplement

recommended to combat depression, according to news reports.

" I don't blame the two killers for what they did; when you take these pills, you

don't know what you are doing, " said Mark , who sued Solvay Pharmaceutical

after the shooting. " It was the pills. "

West Jordan bio-psychologist Ann Blake , with whom the s make

appearances, has researched SSRI drugs for 15 years. She said brain research

shows they can leave some in a seizure- or dream-like state, rendering them

unable to remember their actions. An author, often testifies in court

cases and before the FDA, and she runs the International Coalition for Drug

Awareness, www.drugawareness.org, an online clearing house for information about

adverse reactions to prescription drugs.

Research, study and real-life incidents from shootings and suicides across the

country support the belief that the drugs can do more harm than good, she said.

And yet, the drugs continue to be prescribed and sold to millions.

" I heard the (Summit County) story on the radio, and my first reaction was, 'I

can't believe it's happening again,' " she said. " It's like an unreal nightmare,

and nobody can see the picture. "

Edmunds said he does not know if either of the South Summit students had been or

is taking anti-depressants or was under the care of a physician or mental health

care professional.

" We'll be looking at it, " he said. " But the detectives are still gathering

evidence, and we just haven't gotten there yet. "

In conversations with detectives so far, neither boy has mentioned the drugs,

nor have they mentioned any kind of relationships at school, such as teasing or

harassment, that might have triggered violent behaviors, Edmunds said.

" Right now, they're both pretty much in full-blown denial mode that they are

angry about anything, " Edmunds said, adding he believes the behavior of the two

students is " more pervasive than people realize. "

Both boys are suspended from school and have been in the custody of their

parents. But Edmunds said Monday that based on the newly discovered, more

specific threat information, the pair would be re-arrested and booked into a

Salt Lake County juvenile detention facility.

He also said he expects new information about the case to continue to dribble

in, even though the school year ends at South Summit on Friday.

E-mail: jdobner@...

© 2004 Deseret News Publishing Company

[Guest guest]

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595065621,00.html

Deseret Morning News, Tuesday, May 25, 2004

Summit teens' plot called 'really scary'

News is no surprise to a Columbine survivor and mom

By Dobner

Deseret Morning News

Two Summit County teens appear to have mapped out a rudimentary tactical plan

for carrying out an assault on students and staff at their South Summit High

School, according to new information found over the weekend by police.

Donna

Informants also have told police the pair talked about taking their victims " out

into the desert to kill them, " and at least one boy is now known to have been

trying to obtain the necessary firearms, Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds said

Monday.

" Thursday and Friday last week I was reasonably sure there was going to be some

kind of violence. . . . Right now, I'm about 100 percent sure, " Edmunds said. " I

think it's really scary. "

Detectives discovered a detailed school map with specific entrances and exits

highlighted among the hundreds of documents taken from the lockers of the two

15-year-old boys last week. The confiscated writings and drawings, which were

found as police and school officials searched lockers for drugs, included

graphic images of violence and sex acts, some also inscribed with the names of

specific victims.

Information about attempts to purchase firearms was obtained through several

student witnesses who approached police after the boys were arrested last

Wednesday, Edmunds said.

The news from Summit County is chilling but not surprising to Donna and

her son, Mark, who was shot and wounded at Colorado's Columbine High School on

April 20, 1999. The s are in Salt Lake, a stopover point for a series of

lectures Mark is doing in Western states.

" Every time I hear about one of these, it's like living it all over again, "

Donna said. " You can't imagine how upsetting it is. "

Columbine remains the most deadly school shooting in U.S. history. Thirteen died

and more than 20 were wounded. Mark suffered seven gunshot wounds.

Now he tours the country talking about his experience and lecturing about the

dangers of the anti-depressant drugs known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake

Inhibitors (SSRI), which he believes are the underlying cause of what happened

that April day.

Mark

Harmon, Deseret Morning News

Reports from the Columbine investigation indicate that shooter was

taking the SSRI drug Luvox. Records of the other shooter, Dylan Klebold, have

not been made public, although he was reportedly taking an herbal supplement

recommended to combat depression, according to news reports.

" I don't blame the two killers for what they did; when you take these pills, you

don't know what you are doing, " said Mark , who sued Solvay Pharmaceutical

after the shooting. " It was the pills. "

West Jordan bio-psychologist Ann Blake , with whom the s make

appearances, has researched SSRI drugs for 15 years. She said brain research

shows they can leave some in a seizure- or dream-like state, rendering them

unable to remember their actions. An author, often testifies in court

cases and before the FDA, and she runs the International Coalition for Drug

Awareness, www.drugawareness.org, an online clearing house for information about

adverse reactions to prescription drugs.

Research, study and real-life incidents from shootings and suicides across the

country support the belief that the drugs can do more harm than good, she said.

And yet, the drugs continue to be prescribed and sold to millions.

" I heard the (Summit County) story on the radio, and my first reaction was, 'I

can't believe it's happening again,' " she said. " It's like an unreal nightmare,

and nobody can see the picture. "

Edmunds said he does not know if either of the South Summit students had been or

is taking anti-depressants or was under the care of a physician or mental health

care professional.

" We'll be looking at it, " he said. " But the detectives are still gathering

evidence, and we just haven't gotten there yet. "

In conversations with detectives so far, neither boy has mentioned the drugs,

nor have they mentioned any kind of relationships at school, such as teasing or

harassment, that might have triggered violent behaviors, Edmunds said.

" Right now, they're both pretty much in full-blown denial mode that they are

angry about anything, " Edmunds said, adding he believes the behavior of the two

students is " more pervasive than people realize. "

Both boys are suspended from school and have been in the custody of their

parents. But Edmunds said Monday that based on the newly discovered, more

specific threat information, the pair would be re-arrested and booked into a

Salt Lake County juvenile detention facility.

He also said he expects new information about the case to continue to dribble

in, even though the school year ends at South Summit on Friday.

E-mail: jdobner@...

© 2004 Deseret News Publishing Company

[Guest guest]

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595065621,00.html

Deseret Morning News, Tuesday, May 25, 2004

Summit teens' plot called 'really scary'

News is no surprise to a Columbine survivor and mom

By Dobner

Deseret Morning News

Two Summit County teens appear to have mapped out a rudimentary tactical plan

for carrying out an assault on students and staff at their South Summit High

School, according to new information found over the weekend by police.

Donna

Informants also have told police the pair talked about taking their victims " out

into the desert to kill them, " and at least one boy is now known to have been

trying to obtain the necessary firearms, Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds said

Monday.

" Thursday and Friday last week I was reasonably sure there was going to be some

kind of violence. . . . Right now, I'm about 100 percent sure, " Edmunds said. " I

think it's really scary. "

Detectives discovered a detailed school map with specific entrances and exits

highlighted among the hundreds of documents taken from the lockers of the two

15-year-old boys last week. The confiscated writings and drawings, which were

found as police and school officials searched lockers for drugs, included

graphic images of violence and sex acts, some also inscribed with the names of

specific victims.

Information about attempts to purchase firearms was obtained through several

student witnesses who approached police after the boys were arrested last

Wednesday, Edmunds said.

The news from Summit County is chilling but not surprising to Donna and

her son, Mark, who was shot and wounded at Colorado's Columbine High School on

April 20, 1999. The s are in Salt Lake, a stopover point for a series of

lectures Mark is doing in Western states.

" Every time I hear about one of these, it's like living it all over again, "

Donna said. " You can't imagine how upsetting it is. "

Columbine remains the most deadly school shooting in U.S. history. Thirteen died

and more than 20 were wounded. Mark suffered seven gunshot wounds.

Now he tours the country talking about his experience and lecturing about the

dangers of the anti-depressant drugs known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake

Inhibitors (SSRI), which he believes are the underlying cause of what happened

that April day.

Mark

Harmon, Deseret Morning News

Reports from the Columbine investigation indicate that shooter was

taking the SSRI drug Luvox. Records of the other shooter, Dylan Klebold, have

not been made public, although he was reportedly taking an herbal supplement

recommended to combat depression, according to news reports.

" I don't blame the two killers for what they did; when you take these pills, you

don't know what you are doing, " said Mark , who sued Solvay Pharmaceutical

after the shooting. " It was the pills. "

West Jordan bio-psychologist Ann Blake , with whom the s make

appearances, has researched SSRI drugs for 15 years. She said brain research

shows they can leave some in a seizure- or dream-like state, rendering them

unable to remember their actions. An author, often testifies in court

cases and before the FDA, and she runs the International Coalition for Drug

Awareness, www.drugawareness.org, an online clearing house for information about

adverse reactions to prescription drugs.

Research, study and real-life incidents from shootings and suicides across the

country support the belief that the drugs can do more harm than good, she said.

And yet, the drugs continue to be prescribed and sold to millions.

" I heard the (Summit County) story on the radio, and my first reaction was, 'I

can't believe it's happening again,' " she said. " It's like an unreal nightmare,

and nobody can see the picture. "

Edmunds said he does not know if either of the South Summit students had been or

is taking anti-depressants or was under the care of a physician or mental health

care professional.

" We'll be looking at it, " he said. " But the detectives are still gathering

evidence, and we just haven't gotten there yet. "

In conversations with detectives so far, neither boy has mentioned the drugs,

nor have they mentioned any kind of relationships at school, such as teasing or

harassment, that might have triggered violent behaviors, Edmunds said.

" Right now, they're both pretty much in full-blown denial mode that they are

angry about anything, " Edmunds said, adding he believes the behavior of the two

students is " more pervasive than people realize. "

Both boys are suspended from school and have been in the custody of their

parents. But Edmunds said Monday that based on the newly discovered, more

specific threat information, the pair would be re-arrested and booked into a

Salt Lake County juvenile detention facility.

He also said he expects new information about the case to continue to dribble

in, even though the school year ends at South Summit on Friday.

E-mail: jdobner@...

© 2004 Deseret News Publishing Company