(ConservativeJournal.org) – A teenager who pleaded guilty to planning to attack a synagogue in Ohio was slapped with a year on probation and a book report, in addition to other conditions as part of his plea deal. The unnamed 13-year-old was reported in early September for having detailed conversations on social media wherein he plotted a mass attack against Temple Israel in Canton, Ohio.
The boy pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and inducing a panic. Court documents said he made detailed plans to carry out the attack on Discord, a chat application, which were then reported to authorities.
The police were forced to respond and took the threat very seriously, notifying agencies and school personnel of the threat.
Stark County Family Court Judge Jim James suspended the 90-day detention sentence in favor of one year of probation with specific conditions barring the child from unsupervised use of the internet and mandatory psychological therapy. He also assigned the child a book report.
James assigned him a book about the life of Swiss diplomat Carl Lutz. Lutz worked to shuttle tens of thousands of Jews out of Nazi territories during his time in office.
Stark County Sheriff George Maier indicated they employ a “zero tolerance policy” when it comes to threats of mass violence. He said his office investigates every threat seriously and makes sure offenders are held to account. He said that they take the responsibility of defending the community seriously and deploy the “highest level of commitment and vigilance” in their work.
Kelly Fishman is the executive director for the Cleveland branch of the ADL, and she blamed a trendy type of rhetoric that is catching the youth.
The boy’s family blamed older men on Discord influencing the youth and encouraging him towards hateful ideology. They said he was otherwise a “good kid” who regularly attended Sunday mass with the family.
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