HOUSTON — Two Madison High School students accused of planning a school shooting faced a judge Tuesday morning.
Damian Darias, 17, and Cornell Thomas, 18, are charged with making a terroristic threat, according to court documents. The judge ordered that they remain on 24-hour house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor to track their every move.
Investigators said a classmate reported to police that both teens claimed they were going to shoot up the school last Friday around lunchtime by locking up the school door with chains and then shooting students and staff as they ran.
A judge also ordered both teens to not have any contact with anyone from Madison High School. They must home-school and not engage on social media.
“We take this seriously. This is not a joke. This is not what you play around with,” said prosecutor Nancy Ta, with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. “So if anyone hears any threats, see’s anything suspicious to report it.”
“I think it should be dismissed,” said Brennen Dunn, defense attorney for Thomas. “I think at the end of the day we all start with an inlining of evidence and we try to form an opinion on what we don’t know.”
Thomas’ defense attorney also said the student who heard the threat, heard wrong. The judge also said both teens will undergo mental health evaluations.