A 17-year-old who allegedly made threats against fellow students, resulting in a brief lockdown of two Sequim schools, pleaded not guilty to a felony harassment charge on Thursday, March 31, in Clallam County Juvenile Court.

The Sequim student, in custody since March 24, was appointed defense attorney Suzanne Hayden who sought for the student’s release. Hayden said her client was willing to take anger management sessions, and participate in intensive outpatient programs.

The 17-year-old faces up to a year of probation, up to 150 hours community service, up to a $500 fine, and up to 30 days of detention for the charge.

Deputy prosecuting attorney Tracey Lassus said she had concerns over the release of the defendant, saying the alleged crime resulted in a school lockdown (on March 24), there’s been school truancy, the defendant was not following rules at home, not living at home and allegedly using marijuana.

However, Lassus said the defendant previously had success in Drug Court, a youth rehabilitation program.

“It is unusual, but I’d make the offer of Drug Court again,” she said.

Hayden agreed to the possible term, and Lassus said they’d do some analysis to see if it’d work. If not, the defendant could face a trial for the harassment charge.

Judge Simon Barnhart agreed to the potential terms and set another hearing for 9 a.m. Thursday, April 7 ,in Juvenile Court.

Barnhart maintained bail at $2,500 for the defendant, and ordered no contact if released with one of the teens allegedly threatened.

Lockdown

Alleged threats made by the defendant led Sequim School District leaders to place Sequim High School and Olympic Peninsula Academy into a modified lockdown for a few hours during the morning of March 24.

Det. Sgt. Darrell Nelson with Sequim Police Department said it was “out of an abundance of caution” and they didn’t believe there was any danger to students or staff. The defendant was arrested shortly before the lockdown ended, police reported.

According to officer Daniel Martinez’s Probable Cause statement, school officials contacted him at 7:17 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, with reports of a student threatening to shoot three other students.

In Martinez’s report, he stated that one of the threatened students received Snapchat messages on March 23 that allegedly included the defendant threatening to “run up on him.”

The student told Martinez that this meant the defendant was going to shoot him, and he believed the defendant had access to firearms through a friend, according to court documents.

The student said the defendant was allegedly hostile towards him because of his friendship with another student who was previously associated with the defendant’s group of friends, court documents state.

He also told police his friend was affiliated with the defendant’s associated gang but he switched to another one and was beaten up three times over a few months by the defendant and friends, according to court documents.

When interviewed by police, the threatened student’s friend said he was not involved in the messages until he was shown screenshots; he confirmed he hung out with the defendant’s group but was never made a member of their gang, and he later joined another gang, court documents state.

For this, he was targeted as a “traitor” and beaten up by the rival group, Martinez wrote in his report, and that this student said by fall 2021 he was no longer associated with either group.

Another student was interviewed by police who said the defendant didn’t like him because of his friendship with the other two students and for standing up for them, court documents state.

This student said he has no gang affiliation and he shared screenshots from Snapchat with police between him and the defendant with alleged violence towards him, such as, “I’ll straight up mess your world up tomorrow, just wait; I’ll catch you slippin at school. I got people, yo won’t see me, but I’ll see you.”

Other messages allegedly written by the defendant alluded to violence and murder, too, court documents state.