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Teen arrested for possessing gun, bombs

Teen arrested for possessing gun, bombs; said he wanted to kill, police say

By Julie Zauzmer and Ovetta Wiggins November 3 at 3:13 PM

A teenager in Baltimore County was arrested Saturday for possession of a handgun and homemade explosives, which he said he planned to use to kill people at his high school, authorities said.

The weapons were found at the home of Sash Alexander Nemphos, 16, when police were interviewing him about a series of thefts from automobiles, police said. They said he did not bring them to school.

Nemphos is a 10th-grader at George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, a public school in Towson, police said.

He was charged initially as a juvenile, then charged Monday as an adult with possession of a handgun and a destructive device and three theft counts.

County police Cpl. John Wach!ter said Nemphos voluntarily mentioned his intention to kill people at his school when an officer was interviewing him at his home in Monkton about the break-ins of at least three cars.

The teen’s parents were present at the time of the interview and seemed unaware of the weapons in the home, Wachter said.

He said the officer immediately called in a bomb squad to evaluate the explosives. Nemphos had made three devices using “materials that are readily available to anyone,” Wachter said, and had tools and parts on hand to produce more explosives.

Although Wachter described the bombs as “crude,” he said they “would have definitely went off. How much damage it would have done, we don’t know. And, fortunately, he didn’t get far enough in his plan for us to find out.”

Wachter said the teen did not seem to have planned a specific date to bring the weapons to school and had not indicated his motive.

“I know everybody’s very, very curious about that. At this point, there’s no explanation as to exactly why he wanted to do this,” Wach!ter said. “We’re going to be looking at everything we can possibly look at — what this kid’s history is, anything to indicate why he would go and make two or three homemade devices and get a gun.”

Wachter said he could not discuss the teen’s criminal history or mental health. Nemphos was taken for a mental health evaluation after his arrest Saturday but was not hospitalized, Wachter said. He was instead held at the Charles H. Hickey Jr. School, a juvenile detention facility. On Monday night, police said Nemphos was being held without bail but did not say whether he was still in the juvenile facility.

Maria Lowry, the county’s assistant superintendent for high schools, said school system officials were not aware of previous disciplinary actions involving the student.

“We had no reason to suspect that something like this would happen,” she said. “No red flags.”

Lowry said schools in the district had a scheduled half-day of classes Monday to provide teachers with professional development. School officials told staff members at the school about the arrest after school was dismissed.

“We told them they would be hearing information on the news and that we had limited information,” Lowry said.

The school system sent automated phone calls and e-mailed a letter to parents. In the letter, Principal Karen E.H. Steele sought to calm parents’ fears and praised the work of the police department.

“Let me begin by reassuring you that all is safe and secure at Carver Center,” she wrote. “You may have heard reports regarding a Carver Center student and a potential threat involving our school. I am proud of the partnership between the school system and the police and the swiftness with which we have worked together to investigate and ensure the safety and security of our campus.”

Steele said school counselors will be available to help any students who need assistance.