April 2007 Bomb Scare
On April 20, 2007, former Ponderosa student Caleb Pegues, as a prank, set off a 'stink bomb' in an area frequented by students that allegedly smoked marijuana in the area. The date (420) holds some significance to many people. The stink bomb consisted of a combination of various household chemicals. Reports indicated that either a toilet bowl cleaner or ammonia was put in a plastic bottle along with a piece of tin foil. The reaction creates a gas causing the plastic bottle to expand until it burst. The gas created by such a mixture reportedly smells like rotten eggs.
Unfortunately, this day also marked the eighth anniversary of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre and all Colorado schools were on high alert. At the time of Columbine, Caleb was nine years old and lived in New Mexico so the date did not register with him.
As a result of this prank, Pegues was arrested, charged as an adult under Colorado's Direct File Statute by District Attorney for Colorado's 18th Judicial District, Carol Chambers, for committing several felonies before any investigation.
District Attorney Carol Chambers was criticized harshly by the public for overreacting and filing excessive charges against the juvenile. Many newspaper stories were printed giving the opinion that it was not appropriate that Ms. Chambers charge the juvenile as an adult for what most consider nothing less than a childish 'prank.'
Read more about this topic: Ponderosa High School (Parker, Colorado)
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