It would have been Columbine all over again, a detective said.
Two teens accused of planning an an attack at Etowah High School. were denied bond on Thursday.
Alfred Dupree and Victory McCurley, both 17, are accused of creating an "incendiary device" that was allegedly going to be used to cause harm at Etowah High School.
Investigators said someone called in a tip to Woodstock Police on Monday. Detectives later found a diary in Dupree's home containing threats against the school and against specific students and staffer. The device was found in McCurley's home.
Both the device and powder were turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for further examination and to determine the chemical composition.
Sheriff's Office spokesperson Sgt. Marianne Kelley said that while there was no specific indication as to a particular timeframe for an attack, investigators were able to determine that there was a definite threat against the school and against specific staff members and students. Kelly said those individuals have been informed of the threats against them.
Dupree and McCurley have each been charged with three counts of criminal attempt to commit murder, four counts of terroristic threats and acts, criminal attempt to commit arson and possession and/or transportation of destructive device/explosive with intent to kill, injure or destroy any public building. They are both being charged as adults in the case.
Both teens have been medically evaluated and were transported to the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center Wednesday afternoon.
In court on Thursday, a magistrate judge said there was probable cause to continue holding the teens and did not issue bond. The case was bound over to superior court.
The two are being held in special cells, not in general population.
The arrest warrants have been sealed by a judge.
In a news conference after the court hearing, Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds said that several firearms were turned over by the teens' parents. Reynolds said he didn't believe that the teens had those firearms in their possession at any time. He said the parents were "very cooperative."
Reynolds said he was thankful for the tip that led authorities to the arrests. He said that the detective told him that the possible attack would have been a "Columbine-type" incident. Fifteen people, including two teenage gunmen, were killed and 24 injured in an attack at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999.
Students who knew the teens spoke of warnings signs they wished they'd recognized. In McCurley's Instagram, she called herself a "box of anger." One of her posts showed a "bullet proof blank, seeks to shield kids during school shootings", while another said "Outrun my gun". Still another said, "Fear the nobodies."
“I knew that she was really depressed and was made fun of a lot, but didn’t know it was this bad, that it would cause her to do something like this," said Tristan Shirley. "And it kind of makes me upset that I didn’t see the signs.”
Skylor Webb and others who know Alfred Dupree say they wish they’d recognized signs of trouble in him.
“All last year I saw with him at lunch and he never....like... he would make jokes about school shootings and stuff, but he would make funny jokes about them," Webb said. "I never thought he'd do anything like that."
