Classmate turned in Oregon high student accused of bomb plot
Truman Templeton saw something and said something.
A minor mystery swirled around Albany, Ore., after police arrested West Albany High School student Grant Acord last week on suspicion of plotting to shoot up and blow up his school.
Who turned him in? It was Templeton, 17, a classmate and a friend.
“It’s kind of hard to believe that it’s me, when I see it,†Templeton told KATU-TV in an interview, reflecting on all the coverage the arrest has gotten. “It’s just like, is this really me they’re talking about? It’s hard to believe I did all this.â€
Acord faces 21 counts of attempted murder, attempted arson and possession of illegal weapons. Police said they discovered a secret cache of pipe bombs, Drano bombs and Molotov cocktails hidden in the floorboards of his Albany home.
Templeton said he’d gotten nervous about going to school after Acord had taken books about bomb-making to school.
“The tipping point for me was when I was just worried about being in school and I thought at this point, OK, this school is supposed to be a safe, secure environment,†Templeton told KATU.
He told his mother about wanting to skip a pep rally for fear that Acord would do something, and his mother spoke to a law-enforcement friend who then reportedly called the police.
That friend, Shannon Lewis, a juvenile probation officer, told the authorities about Acord’s request that Templeton film him with weapons before a future attack.
Templeton “wasn’t asked to participate,†Lewis told the Albany Democrat-Herald. “It was, ‘Film me with my weapons.’ That’s the information I got.â€
Templeton, feeling pressure over turning in a friend, told KATU that he was “very nervous†at first, but is now glad that he said something and perhaps stopped an attack.
“It’s pretty overwhelming, but my hope is that people will follow my lead and, you know, be more open about this kind of stuff and report it sooner,†Templeton said.
Acord did not enter a plea at his arraignment Tuesday in a Benton County, Ore., court. Bail was set for $2 million.
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