Republic teen caused bomb scare to get friend out of school early, police say
A Republic teen was charged Tuesday with making a terrorist threat on Nov. 11 after police say he falsely reported Republic High School was going to be bombed to get a friend out of school.
Honz Ladd, 17, told police he was homeless and high on methamphetamine when he reported the false bomb threat Nov. 11 that caused the evacuation of about 1,400 students, according to court documents.
Republic police were initially contacted about the bomb threat by the Syracuse Police Department in Syracuse, New York. On Monday night, Republic police interviewed Ladd, who allegedly told them he went to the website Google.com and searched for a way to submit an anonymous tip, then clicked on a random site.
The interview was described in a probable cause statement filed by Republic police.
"I didn't call it in. I, I, I went onto like Google and there is this website and I like wrote it down on this paragraph thing and I hit send," Ladd allegedly told Republic police. "I didn't think it was going to be that serious."
According to the statement, Ladd reported that a different individual had or was planning to plant a bomb at Republic High School. He told Republic police that two people at a McDonald's were talking about this individual bombing the school, though Ladd said he didn't actually believe them, the statement said.
The address listed for Ladd on the statement filed by Republic police is the same address as Republic High School.
Ladd used to be a student at Republic Public Schools until April 2014 when he transferred to a school district in Pulaski County, a Republic School District spokeswoman said.
Ladd was identified as a suspect in the days following the false bomb threat, the statement said, after a female student interviewed by police said Ladd texted her on the day of the evacuation and asked if she wanted to get out of school early.
Republic Police Chief Mike Lawton said via email that his department sent a supplemental probable cause statement to the Greene County Prosecutor's Office to clear up a point of confusion between the original statement and a warrant executed by Republic police.
According to that original statement, Ladd said he made the false report while in Springfield.
A warrant filed by Republic police the day of the false report said the false report was traced to a home in Republic, from which computers, cellphones, a plastic bag containing white powder and other electronic equipment were seized.
Making a terrorist threat is a class C felony in Missouri, punishable by up to seven years in prison.