Judge Orders Teen Who Allegedly Plotted Terror Attack Against Synagogue To Do ‘Book Report’

 A teenager who allegedly planned a terrorist attack on a synagogue in Ohio was ordered by a judge to write a book report as part of his punishment.

WKYC reported that the Stark County Sheriff’s Office said that its deputies responded to a call in early September regarding a 13-year-old boy who was involved in “concerning conversations” on a social media platform that included numerous threats toward Temple Israel in the city of Canton.

The boy, who was not named due to his age, pleaded “true,” which is the juvenile equivalent of guilty, on Friday to misdemeanor charges of inducing panic and disorderly conduct.

According to court documents, the boy “did create a detailed plan to complete a mass shooting at the Temple Israel on the Discord platform which was reported to law enforcement and required an immediate investigatory response and notification of public individuals and agencies including the school system in which caused significant public alarm within those agencies.”

The report said that Stark County Family Court Judge Jim James suspended a 90-day sentence for the teen at the Multi-County Juvenile Attention Center and instead gave him one year of probation that included the following:

• No unsupervised use of the internet[.]
• Continue to undergo counseling with a licensed therapist[.]
• Read a book about Swiss diplomat Carl Lutz, credited with saving over 62,000 Jews during World War II. The teen is then ordered to write a book report to the juvenile probation department.

Stark County Sheriff George Maier said that the county has a “zero-tolerance policy when it comes to threats made against our community.”

 

“Every threat is investigated thoroughly with the seriousness it deserves,” he said. “We work diligently to ensure that those responsible are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Protecting our community is a responsibility we bear with the highest level of commitment and vigilance.”