Platte City Teen Found Guilty in "Columbine" Style Plot
A Platte City teenager was found guilty after a February 13 trial of threatening to carry out a school shooting to mark the anniversary of the Columbine High School attack.
Sean M. Amos, 18, was convicted of making a terroristic threat after he and a co-defendant told classmates they planned to use guns and explosives in an April 20, 2006 assault of Platte County R-3 High School in Platte City.
“In today’s world, we cannot sit idly by when threats of school violence are made,” Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said in a statement. “These threats must be taken seriously, and I commend the Platte County R-3 School District and Platte City Police Department for dealing quickly and decisively with this incident.”
Craig Robinson, the principal of Platte County R-3 High School, testified at the trial that he learned on March 31, 2006 that Amos and Trevor Fattig had threatened to conduct a “Columbine-type” incident on April 20. He reported the threat to the Platte City Police Department that day.
Police officers then interviewed five Platte County R-3 students who said Amos and Fattig told them they intended to bring weapons to school on April 20. Three of the students testified at trial that Fattig and Amos told them they planned to plant explosives at the school and shoot an assistant principal and students.
The students testified Amos and Fattig made their threats during a discussion of the Columbine shooting.
A detective with the Platte City Police Department testified at the trial that Amos denied making any terroristic threats; however, the detective said Amos admitted having a fascination with the events of the Columbine shooting.
“The Columbine massacre in 1999 was the single worst incident of school violence in history,” Zahnd said. “It is disturbing that any teenager could even consider threatening to duplicate what happened that day.”
The State initially charged Amos with the felony of recklessly making a terroristic threat. Amos was also charged with misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance. Amos was found guilty of negligently making a terroristic threat, a misdemeanor, and possessing the controlled substance.
Amos is scheduled to be sentenced March 15.
The case was being investigated by the Platte City Police Department and the Platte County Sheriff’s Department. It was tried by Eric Poggemiller and Mark Gibson.
Fattig’s case is set for a jury trial on April 2.