Mom Charged With Buying Teen Weapons in School Attack Plot
PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. — The mother of a 14-year-old home-schooled student who had a cache of guns, knives and explosive devices in his bedroom was charged Friday with six counts for buying him three weapons.
Michele Cossey bought her son a .22-caliber handgun, a .22-caliber rifle and a 9 mm semiautomatic rifle, authorities said.
The teenager felt bullied and tried to recruit another boy for the possible attack at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, authorities said.
Police on Wednesday found the rifle, about 30 air-powered guns, swords, knives, a bomb-making book, videos of the 1999 Columbine attack in Colorado and violence-filled notebooks, Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. said. The weapons were plainly visible in the boy's bedroom, he said.
Cossey, 46, of Plymouth Meeting, bought the rifle, which had a laser scope, at a gun show on Sept. 23 and provided police with a receipt, investigators said in court papers. The teenager said the two .22-caliber weapons were stored at a friend's house.
The teen was charged as a juvenile with solicitation to commit terror and other counts and was being held at a youth facility. The teen had a brief court appearance Friday at which he was ordered to remain in juvenile detention.
The teen was charged as a juvenile with solicitation to commit terror and other counts and was being held at a youth facility. The teen had a brief court appearance Friday at which he was ordered to remain in juvenile detention.
His mother was charged with unlawful transfer of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a minor, corruption of a minor, endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of reckless endangerment.
Castor has said he does not believe and attack was imminent or would occur at all. He said Friday that the teen was intelligent, but had a "disturbed mind."
"This was a smart kid that clearly believes he was picked on and was a victim," Castor said. "He had psychological issues and began to act out on those feelings."
Police, who searched home with the permission of the teen's parents, also discovered seven explosive devices Castor has described as homemade grenades: plastic containers filled with BBs to which gunpowder could be added. Authorities said one grenade was operable and the others had been in the process of being assembled.
The search did not turn up any ammunition for the most dangerous firearm in the bunch, the assault rifle.
The teen previously attended middle school in the district but had been taught at home for more than a year after voluntarily leaving school, Castor said.
Plymouth Township police searched the home after getting a tip Wednesday from a high school student and his father.
The arrest came the same day a 14-year-old in Ohio opened fire at his Cleveland high school, wounding four before killing himself.
Castor has said he does not believe and attack was imminent or would occur at all. He said Friday that the teen was intelligent, but had a "disturbed mind."
"This was a smart kid that clearly believes he was picked on and was a victim," Castor said. "He had psychological issues and began to act out on those feelings."
Police, who searched home with the permission of the teen's parents, also discovered seven explosive devices Castor has described as homemade grenades: plastic containers filled with BBs to which gunpowder could be added. Authorities said one grenade was operable and the others had been in the process of being assembled.
The search did not turn up any ammunition for the most dangerous firearm in the bunch, the assault rifle.
The teen previously attended middle school in the district but had been taught at home for more than a year after voluntarily leaving school, Castor said.
Plymouth Township police searched the home after getting a tip Wednesday from a high school student and his father.
The arrest came the same day a 14-year-old in Ohio opened fire at his Cleveland high school, wounding four before killing himself.
it has been said that you cant stop them from blowing up so try not to have them go off on your porch. good advice but in this case someone should just take this kid out to the woods and put one into the back of his head. ok, his parents should get one too. who in their right mind gets an assault rifle for a teenager. i understand that you nra nuts are going to say its our right, everyone should have a gun, the founding fathers had them...etc. i understand all that. buy the kid a hunting rifle. assault rifles are made for one thing and one thing only.....taking a human life. you cant hunt with them. the arent particularly accurate. dont throw that founding fathers shit at me either, they used them for hunting. i have no problem with giving this kid a flintlock. the parents are just as much at fault as the kid in this case.
in the old days when you went down to the watering hole and gave everyone the stinkeye someone hit you in the back of the head with a club and that was that..............that isnt a bad idea here.
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