Bomb injures teacher at high school; two students identified as culprits

By BETH BAUMGARDNER
and MATT WUNSCHE
Collegian Staff Writers

A teacher at State College Area High School was injured yesterday after bombs made by two students detonated in the North Building of the campus.

Three dry-ice compression bombs detonated at 10:20 a.m., apparently as an April Fools' Day joke, said Patricia Best, State College Area School District assistant superintendent. An additional bomb was found, but it did not explode.

Richard Lies Jr., 18, was charged with possessing a weapon on school property, recklessly endangering another person, criminal conspiracy to commit, recklessly endangering another person, institutional vandalism and criminal mischief.

He was arraigned before District Justice Carmine Prestia and was released on $25,000 unsecured bail.

The charges against the other person involved in the bombing, a 16-year-old student, will be handled through the juvenile justice system.

"I believe death would have been caused, or certainly something much more serious, if there would have been people in the hallway," said State College Police Chief Tom King, who ordered the school's evacuation.

The detonation of one of the devices in a trash can in the science wing of the building caused the trash can to hit and injure a teacher. The teacher, whom police and school officials declined to identify, was sent to Centre Community Hospital and later released, Best said.

Two bombs located in or near the boys' bathrooms also exploded. State College Police Department officers found a fourth bomb, which did not detonate, located in a trash can by the auditorium.

State College police apprehended the two students after receiving tips concerning their identities and whereabouts.

Two students were seen entering a bathroom in the school with a large backpack, shortly before the first explosion, according to a press release from State College police.

Witnesses from the University Creamery described two boys buying 20 pounds of dry ice yesterday, according to the release.

When the boys were found at Lies' home yesterday, they admitted to buying the ice and constructing the bombs on the way to school, according to the release.

After the detonation administrators moved students to the South Building and canceled classes for the rest of the day. Joyce Harvey, South Building principal, said there were no incidents in that building.

There are no classes today due to a prescheduled in-service day.

Harvey and assistant principal Michael Hardy sent a letter to parents and guardians of State College High School students earlier in the week, advising parents any April Fools' Day pranks would result in "extensive consequences."

"You may not be aware that a tradition of (April Fools' Day) pranks has developed over the last few years," the letter said. "Unfortunately, the pranks have escalated to a dangerous and disruptive level."

Collegian staff writers Angela J. Gates and Susie Xu contributed to this report.