Ryan D. LaPlante, the former Kentwood High School student charged with making threats to bomb Kentwood, is now in custody at the Benton County Jail in Kennewick.
LaPlante, 19, was booked Thursday morning, according to jail records.
LaPlante failed to show up for his scheduled King County Superior Court appearance Monday to be arraigned at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent for making threats to bomb or injure property in March at the Covington school.
A $15,000 bench warrant was issued for LaPlante’s arrest after he failed to appear in court, according to Ian Goodhew, spokesman for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The judge set a new court date of June 20 for LaPlante to appear.
King County prosecutors have charged LaPlante with threats to bomb or injure property in connection with an emailed threat March 29 to the principal that caused the school to evacuate 2,000 students and staff and be shut down for a day.
LaPlante told King County Sheriff’s Office detectives he emailed the threat because he was angry that he did not graduate in 2012 after attending Kentwood for four years, according to charing papers filed May 28.
If convicted as charged, the sentence range for LaPlante would be three to nine months in jail.
Detectives initially arrested LaPlante April 6 at his father’s home in Kennewick. LaPlante had lived in Kent with his mother before moving to the Tri-Cities. Detectives served a search warrant at the Kennewick house and seized two computers. Investigators used information found on those computers to connect LaPlante to the email sent to Principal Doug Hostetter, according to charging papers.
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