Teenager charged in school plot in need of adult monitoring

John LaDue was the Waseca teen who was charged with plotting to kill not only his family but his high school classmates last year underwent examination by a psychologist. The psychologist told a judge that having LaDue stand trial for the charges as an adult would give time and help with the process of monitoring and intervention.
Katheryn Cranbrook who was a witness for the prosecution and who has also worked on a number of school shooting cases in Minnesota also testified that LaDue suffered from mild to moderate levels of autism spectrum disorder. She was of the opinion that his risk to engage in violence in the future continues to be elevated.
The judge ordered the test to be conducted on LaDue which is the second one he would be undergoing to actually determine whether or not the 18 year old should be tried as an adult for the charges being pressed against him.
Cranbrook also said that he would need more time to be treated for his disorder; more than what he would receive if he were to be treated as a juvenile. She was of the opinion that for someone to be able to shift out of the fixation of violence while suffering from autism is very difficult. She believes that if LaDue were to be released prematurely, he would be at risk for engaging in future targeted violent acts.
Last year, LaDue was charged by Waseca County prosecutors with attempted murder after he was arrested by police officers in a storage locker. By conducting a search of the locker as well as LaDue’s house, explosives were found along with a gun, supplies to make a bomb as well as a journal which outlined his plans.
The attempted murder charges were later on dropped by the district court and the decision was also upheld by the Minnesota Court of Appeals. LaDue is currently housed in a juvenile facility located in Prairie Lake and continues to face 6 charges for the possession of explosives. Even though as part of the juvenile system, jurisdiction ends by the time an individual reaches 19 years of age, it can be extended to the age of 21. However if LaDue is certified and is convicted on the remaining 6 counts as an adult, he could have to face a sentence of almost 57 months, as stated by the Drug Court Coordinator, Nicole Grams.
According to Stephen Ferrazzano, the defense atto
ey, treatment which is available as part of the juvenile system is enough for what LaDue needs. He stated that LaDue does not have any previous record and should thus be treated as a juvenile and not as an adult. Everything he needs, he can receive from the juvenile system only without having to be tried for the charges as an adult.
What his atto
eys want to avoid is having him tried as an adult because if he were to be certified as one and later on was convicted of a felony, it would lead to him having a felony record. Prosecutors have however at this time not made any comments.