Mental Evaluation Sought For Bomb Plotter

Prosecutor Will Make Request At Troubled S.C. Teen Ryan Schallenberger's Bail Hearing

(CBS/AP)  The parents who called police after discovering their teenage son had ordered bomb-making materials on the Internet likely averted disaster at his high school, a sheriff said Tuesday.

Ryan Schallenberger, 18, was arrested Saturday after his parents called police because he had ordered 10 pounds of ammonium nitrate, which they retrieved after getting a delivery notice from the postal service, authorities said.

"We applaud these parents and we're very thankful they chose to be concerned and they chose to get involved. We feel like they saved a lot of life in our county," Chesterfield County Sheriff Sam Parker said Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America."

Schallenberger's parents had sought help from mental health experts even earlier in the week when he slammed his head into a wall, but the clinic offered no help, authorities said Monday. His parents took him to a hospital but he was not badly injured, said prosecutor Jay Hodge.

But CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann reports that by the time Schallenberger's parents began to seek help for there son, the bomb-making supplies that he had ordered on eBay were already in the mail.

Schallenberger was charged with making a bomb threat and was to be charged Tuesday with possession of bomb-making material, Hodge said. The prosecutor said he would request at a bail hearing Tuesday that the teen undergo a mental health evaluation.

Schallenberger's mother and stepfather are "heartbroken," Parker said Tuesday.

"They were very concerned about his future education. I kind of explained to them and told them we've got to deal with two options here, we've got to deal with his education or with his life," the sheriff said.

Ammonium nitrate is a fertilizer that can be used as an ingredient in explosives and was employed in the deadly 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Authorities said Schallenberger bought the ammonium nitrate on eBay.

Police said that after they were called by his parents, they discovered a hate-filled journal lauding the Columbine killers, an audiotape to be played after Schallenberger died during his rampage and a year's worth of plans for the bombing that included a hand-drawn map of the school.

"He's just a soft-spoken little kid," Hodge said. "But he's done something and threatened to do something that's very violent."

Ashley Waters, one of Schallenberger's classmates, told the CBS Early Show, "What he did is completely out of his character. He's really nice, he talks to everybody, everybody talks to him. Nobody picks on him, so we don't really know what's going on."

Schallenberger was assigned a lawyer, William Spencer, who did not return calls from The Associated Press.

Schallenberger's mother and stepfather, John and Laurie Sittley, could not be reached for comment. Their phone number was unlisted, they did not attend the hearing and their home about 10 miles from the school was blocked by "No Trespassing" signs.

Authorities said Schallenberger's journal did not specify targets of an attack, or a date that he planned to carry it out. Police Chief Randall Lear said Schallenberger was "just mad at the world."

Authorities checked the school for bombs during the weekend, and students walked through newly installed metal detectors and past law officers on Monday.

Acquaintances said they were surprised by the allegations against the straight-A student.

"He wouldn't hurt a flea," neighbor Carl Parker said. "People just don't know him like I do. He's a good kid."

Students said Schallenberger often ate alone in the cafeteria. "I never thought he'd be the dude to do something like this," said James Ford, a 16-year-old sophomore.

Chesterfield is a town of about 1,500 people in northeastern South Carolina near the North Carolina line.

[ranger1948]

Gee, now here is a shock. Do you really think he had to have a mental problem to plan this ? I was glad to see his parents did the rigt thing about the situation and for their son. These people need our compassion now more than ever.

[fabrat1]

It must have been very hard for his parents to turn him in like that. I can''t even begin to understand how they''re feeling right now. However, they probably saved many many lives here.

[locke10]

But CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann reports that by the time Schallenberger''s parents began to seek help for there son,

CBS, please hire me as a proofreader. It''s bad enough when semiliterate comment-makers do it.