I originally posted about the alleged school shooting plot in Rochester, Indiana here. If you’ll recall, 18-year-old John L Schultz IV and 17-year-old Donald V. Robin Jr.were arrested for allegedly plotting a school shooting in their area.
The pair are what’s known as columbiners due to their deep fascination with the Columbine shooting. The pair were said to have tattoos that made references to Columbine such as the phrase “Do you believe in God?” That is a reference to the apocryphal story where one of the Columbine shooters asked a Christian student if she believed in God before shooting her.
The pair are set to go to trial in January, however, Schultz has been released on bond and Robin could be released on bond as early as next week. The reason this has happened is that the pair have only been charged with conspiracy to commit murder. The prosecutor in charge says that the bond was applied to a standard crime but says bond should have been raised due to the fact this wasn’t a ‘standard crime’.
The local community is now concerned about Schultz and potentially Robin committing violence while out on bond. Schultz has to move since he lives near a school and is required to wear an ankle monitor and have no access to guns. I imagine Robin will have the same restrictions once he posts bond.
While I agree that bond should have been higher due to extenuating circumstances, history is kind of on the side of the suspects. In the 20 years I’ve been posting about school violence, very rarely do plotting suspects get arrested again after getting released on bond. When they do, it’s usually not for anything related to the alleged plot.
However, that’s not to say there isn’t potential for future violence. If it was up to me, I’d rather err on the side of caution and have the suspects remanded into custody until trial.
Real Crime with Trench Reynolds 