Cheyenne student to face charges

Friday, May 21, 1999 | 10:50 a.m.

A 16-year-old boy who lit a firecracker during a high-tension situation at Cheyenne High School will face charges in juvenile court, Clark County School District officials said today.

The boy, a student at Cheyenne, was booked into juvenile hall on charges of creating a disturbance and possession of an explosive device after the incident Thursday -- the one-month anniversary of the massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo.

The firecracker went off at about 11:30 a.m., resulting in a bomb squad being called to the scene to determine what had exploded. The suspect's name was not released because he is a minor. School officials canceled afternoon classes because of the incident.

School officials had been on heightened alert Thursday after a message was posted on the Internet calling for a nationwide walkout of high school students in remembrance of the April 20 Littleton shooting that left 12 students, a teacher and two student gunmen dead.

Also, Cheyenne High School was the site of North Las Vegas City Council precinct re-voting because of irregularities in the May 4 primary election. Voting was briefly disrupted because of the firecracker incident, officials said.

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