Criminal Threat Charges Could Be Dropped Against Hempfield Student
From the Pittsburgh Tribune Review …
Woman could have criminal charges over Hempfield Area threat dropped
An 18-year-old woman could have criminal charges related to a threat at Hempfield Area High School wiped from her record under a tentative agreement with prosecutors, according to her attorney David Shrager.
Daniela Kendra, waived her right to a preliminary hearing Friday and the tentative agreement, which must be approved later by a judge, calls for her to continue with counseling while in a probationary program, Shrager said.
The Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program allows first-time, nonviolent offenders to complete court-ordered requirements in exchange for their criminal record being expunged.
“This is certainly not an act of hostility on her part but rather immaturity and lack of understanding,” he said. “We’re moving forward in a direction that’s going to be allowing her to continue with her education as well as get the appropriate help that she needs so this issue doesn’t happen again.”
Kendra was a student when she was arrested in March after threatening to bring a gun to the school on March 26 in a message to the district’s safe school helpline, police said. She allegedly said she wanted to “shoot up all the kids and teacher” except for two females “because they are hot,” according to police. Three threats were reported to the helpline and the IP addresses were all the same and related to Kendra. She has been free after a family member posted $1,000 bond on charges criminal use of a communication facility, simple assault, reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct and two counts of terroristic threats.More than 50 threats were made against schools, students or teachers in southwest Pennsylvania after the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Fla. The spate of threats slowed as the school year came to an end.