The father of the 15-year-old who recently brought a weapon to Hammond High School said Wednesday, that his son regrets the mistake.
“He was afraid of a gang. I don?t know which one, but I know he?s not in a gang himself,” said the father, a Washington, D.C., firefighter, whose name The Examiner is withholding. He does not believe his son to be violent.
The 15-year-old on Tuesday pleaded “involved” ? the juvenile equivalent of guilty ? to bringing an unloaded gun and ammunition to Hammond High on June 15, said Wayne Kirwan, spokesman for the Howard County State?s Attorney?s Office.
The teenager is under home detention at his mother?s residence in Columbia until his sentencing, which is scheduled for Aug. 28, the father said.
During his hearing in juvenile court, Master William Tucker released the student from the Alfred D. Noyes Children?s Center in Rockville after considering a psychological evaluation that determined he was a low risk for another offense, Kirwan said.
The father said Tucker mentioned concern that the boy would suffer retaliation if released. But the teenager settled the feud with the alleged gang member over the telephone while in custody, his father said.
The student?s attorney, Jenny Parks, declined comment because the student is a juvenile. The state?s attorney Cindy Johnson could not be reached.
Gang affiliation is a growing problem in Howard County schools, said school system Security Coordinator Steve Drummond.
“As the suburban high schools become more urbanized, we?ve seen more of that type of activity. But what?s more common is the loosely formed group of kids trying to mimic a gang,” said school system spokeswoman Patti Caplan.
Howard police were not aware the student pleaded guilty or that he was afraid of a gang, said police spokeswoman Sherry Llewelyn.
Gang members are rarely high school students, she said, but police “monitor gang activity countywide and keep track of all people who identify themselves with a gang.”
The 15-year-old, who played junior varsity football at Hammond High, will not return to the school next year.
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