Mental evaluation sought for student accused in bomb plot

A prosecutor urged a mental health evaluation for a teenager whose alleged plot to bomb his high school was foiled when his parents discovered he had ordered explosive materials on the Internet.

Ryan Schallenberger, 18, was arrested Saturday after his parents called police because he had ordered 10 pounds of ammonium nitrate, which they retrieved after getting a delivery notice from the postal service, authorities said.

His parents had sought help earlier in the week from mental health experts when he slammed his head into a wall, but the clinic offered no help, authorities said Monday. His parents took him to a hospital.

Schallenberger was not badly injured, though he made a 4-inch indentation in the wallboard, according to prosecutor Jay Hodge, who said he would request at a bail hearing Tuesday that the teen undergo a mental health evaluation.

A spokesman for the mental health clinic would not confirm or deny any contact with Schallenberger's family, citing state law.

Ammonium nitrate is an explosive commonly used as fertilizer and was employed in the deadly 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Authorities said Schallenberger bought the ammonium nitrate off eBay.

Schallenberger's mother and stepfather likely saved lives at his high school, authorities said.

"Without the parents, Chesterfield County would've suffered. We thank them," Sheriff Sam Parker said.

Police said they discovered a hate-filled journal lauding the Columbine killers, an audiotape to be played after Schallenberger died during his rampage and a year's worth of plans for the bombing that included a hand-drawn map of the school.

"He's just a soft-spoken little kid," Hodge said at a brief hearing Monday, adding that Schallenberger threatened to do something "very violent."

Schallenberger was charged with making a bomb threat and will be charged Tuesday with possession of bomb-making material, Hodge said. He was assigned a lawyer, William Spencer, who did not return calls from The Associated Press.

Schallenberger's mother and stepfather, John and Laurie Sittley, could not be reached for comment. Their phone number was unlisted, they did not attend the hearing and their home about 10 miles from the school was blocked by "No Trespassing" signs.

Authorities said Schallenberger's journal did not specify targets of an attack, or a date that he planned to carry it out. Police Chief Randall Lear said Schallenberger was "just mad at the world."

Authorities checked the school for bombs over the weekend, and students walked through newly installed metal detectors and past law officers on Monday.

Acquaintances said they were surprised by the allegations against the straight-A student.

"He wouldn't hurt a flea," neighbor Carl Parker said. "People just don't know him like I do. He's a good kid."

Students said Schallenberger often ate alone in the cafeteria. "I never thought he'd be the dude to do something like this," said James Ford, a 16-year-old sophomore.

Chesterfield is a town of about 1,500 people in northeastern South Carolina near the North Carolina line.

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Associated Press writers Jim Davenport and Katrina A. Goggins in Columbia and Bruce Smith in Charleston contributed to this report.