Teen accused of making fake bomb

By Times staff writer

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 19, 2000

PORT RICHEY -- A 15-year-old boy was arrested Wednesday after deputies said he tried to mix a chemical cocktail and threatened to blow up his teacher.

The teen was suspended from Bayonet Point Middle School on Monday, said Pasco County sheriff's spokesman Jon Powers. He became angry with a teacher involved with his suspension, according to a deputy's report.

On Wednesday, the teen mixed together bleach and paint thinner, according to the teen's mother, but dumped the substances out at home.

He threatened to blow up the teacher and the teacher's vehicle, but his mother said he was just joking. A deputy's report said some other teens knew about the boy's plan and told adults, which led to his arrest.

Authorities aren't sure whether the mix of chemicals could have been dangerous.

"We are checking with some lab people to see what effect they would have had," Powers said Thursday.

The names of the teen and his mother are being withheld by the Times because the boy is a juvenile.

He was charged with possession of a hoax bomb and is being held at the Pasco Juvenile Detention Facility pending counseling, according to his mother.

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