Adult charges are considered against school bus hijacker

Wednesday, May 1, 2002 | 10:50 a.m.

Nye County sheriff's deputies are asking that a 15-year-old arrested Monday in a school bus hijacking be charged with robbery, grand larceny and assault with a deadly weapon.

The Nye County district attorney's office, which received the police report this morning, is considering whether to charge the teen as an adult with the felony charges.

According to the sheriff's office, the boy hijacked a bus in Pahrump before school Monday morning, using a Samurai sword to take control of the bus from its driver. Once the boy was apprehended after a chase into California, a written plan to blow up the school and school schematics were found on him, the sheriff's office said.

The boy told police he found the sword lying behind the school, Nye County Sheriff Department Lt. Bill Becht said. It was an ornamental sword with a shiny metal blade, Becht said.

The boy, whose name has not been released because of his juvenile status, was expected to appear in Inyo County courts today in Independence, Calif., according to the Nye County district attorney's office.

"We expect to take custody of him in the next two days," said Chief Deputy District Attorney Kirk Vitto, who has been assigned the case by District Attorney Robert Beckett.

Arrangements have been made to hold the boy at a secure juvenile facility in Douglas County, near Carson City, Vitto said.