'Gilbert Goon' case tied to Chandler Unified principal turned down by prosecutors

The case against the stepson of a school principal was dropped just weeks after Gilbert police arrested him in connection with a "Gilbert Goon" attack.

The father of the victim in that attack said a detective contacted him on Thursday and told him no charges would be filed against the teen for his role in the videotaped attack.

Richard Kuehner said police provided little explanation for the decision, just that no charges would be filed against the teenager. Five other teens arrested in the August beating at the Gilbert In-N-Out still face prosecution.

"I'm super pissed about this," Kuehner told The Arizona Republic. "Where are people supposed to go for justice?"

Gilbert police Chief Michael Soelberg made no mention of the dropped case during his weekly news conference on teen violence at the department on Thursday.

The department, in an email Thursday night, referred questions to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.

"Earlier this week, MCAO notified Gilbert PD that charges involving this juvenile were turned down," the email stated. "At this time, this is the only turn down that Gilbert PD has received for arrests on this investigation."

A spokesperson for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said Thursday it is office policy not to comment on juvenile cases.

The principal's stepson appears to have hinted that he knew the case would collapse as early as Tuesday, when he posted a message on social media saying, "It'll all be over soon."

The boy's mother, Riggs Elementary Principal Jamie Lander, did not respond to interview requests on Thursday.

Lander, her husband and her stepson still face two civil lawsuits. One stems from the attack on Kuehner's son. The other is tied to another videotaped assault on a different teen at a Mesa park in May.

Lander also was named in a $6 million notice of claim filed Monday against the Chandler Unified School District and the Gilbert Police Department. It accused officials of ignoring threats before and after the attack in order to protect Lander and her son.

"It just goes to show the police will not right every wrong, and the county attorney is not going to follow through with charges even though they should," Kuehner's lawyer, Richard Lyons, said Thursday. "This only convinces us more the Gilbert Police Department isn't going to address the problem."

Police arrested the teenager on suspicion of assault and robbery. A video of the attack shows the stepson running at the victim with a clenched fist. Lyons said the teenager also texted threats to the victim.

Police and prosecutors could make a solid case for assault based on the video alone, Lyons said. Arizona law requires only that you put someone in fear of their safety in order to be guilty of assault, he said.

"They have him nailed for this on video and victim testimony," Lyons said. "The county attorney decided she has better things to do."

Detective: Teen blamed fight on unidentified people of color

Chandler Unified School District officials announced in an email to parents Tuesday that Lander was out on leave. The move came a day after The Republic detailed Lander's December statements to a detective investigating the attack.

Lander told the detective that police were trying to make a "scapegoat" out of her stepson, and said the case was only going forward as a result of political pressure, according to police reports. "Your superiors want you to find somebody right now," the detective reported her saying.

Kuehner’s son identified Lander's stepson as one of his attackers, according to police reports. Police interviewed Lander's stepson on the night of the attack, and he provided them with a video of the beating, which was shared in a group chat, records state.

Lander's stepson pointed himself out in the video as “running to go watch” the fight. It was clear to police he had his arms raised, stood in a “bladed stance,” and appeared to be preparing to participate in the assault, according to court records. But police reported they were “unable” to establish probable cause.

The attack video was sent to school resource officers at Perry High and elsewhere, but police said they could not identify suspects. Police labeled the case "inactive" on Oct. 2.

Gilbert police reopened the case days after being contacted by The Republic about the attack and several others in December.

A Dec. 14 investigation by The Republic first detailed a string of vicious assaults by the Goons, who recorded their blitz-style attacks on teens in parks and parking garages, outside fast-food restaurants and at house parties. The Republic also outlined the gang's potential ties to the fatal beating of 16-year-old Preston Lord outside of a Halloween party in Queen Creek.

Assistance sought: Mesa police ask for help to identify suspect in a teen 'Gilbert Goons' attack

Since The Republic's investigation was published, at least 15 adults and juveniles tied to Goon attacks have been arrested by authorities in Gilbert, Mesa and Pinal County, including six in Kuehner's case.

The Republic does not normally name juveniles accused of crimes unless they are charged as adults.

Police interviewed Lander, her husband, Theodore Lander, and her stepson during a Dec. 19 meeting in the principal's office at Perry High School, where both Kuehner's son and Lander's stepson attended.

The detective said Lander's stepson blamed the fight on unidentified people of color. He said, "Two or three Black kids" and a "Mexican kid" pulled up and hit Kuehner's son, according to police reports.

When the detective asked the stepson to identify attackers, both Lander and her husband interceded, according to reports. Lander said she didn't want her stepson put in harm's way because he named names.

Lander said police had a video of the attack, access to the school surveillance system, photos of students and Perry High's resource officer. All of these, she said, could be used to identify other students in the attack, according to the report.

Lander also questioned the behavior of Kuehner's son, saying she and other colleagues had received phone calls about the teenager that might explain the attack, the detective reported.

Theodore Lander claimed officers were going after his son because of media scrutiny of the case; he said officers had cleared his son in the attack when it was first investigated, according to the detective. Theodore Lander also threatened to sue the Police Department, according to reports.

Jamie Lander suggested kids in the attack videos were being "lumped together" with the kids who were involved in Lord's death, which she said was a "problem," according to the report.

Parents, students and community leaders blasted the Chandler school board at a meeting Wednesday. They accused board members and the superintendent of a pattern of silence and inaction around teen violence and a failure to supervise Lander.

"This district's silence on Mrs. Lander's involvement has been consistent and deafening," parent Trisha Young said.

Lawyer: Civil lawsuits against 'Goons,' parents will move ahead

Lyons said there is no question Jamie Lander's stepson is a member of the Gilbert Goons. And he said there is no question she obstructed the investigation into her son.

The decision by police and prosecutors not to pursue charges against the teen will not change the course of the lawsuits, Lyons said.

Appeal to public: Gilbert police seek help identifying victims, suspects in teen attacks

Lander, her husband and her stepson were named in a Feb. 8 lawsuit against 17 juveniles and adults identified as "Gilbert Goons" and 26 of their parents. The case, anchored by the attack on Kuehner's son, accuses the Goons of assaulting unsuspecting victims, recording attacks, and sharing photos and videos of them on social media. It accuses parents of negligent supervision.

Lander, her husband and her stepson also were named in a lawsuit targeting Goons for their alleged involvement in a May attack on a 17-year-old in a Mesa park. The suit claims Lander's stepson "set up" the attack and threatened the victim after the attack.

Lyons said the dropped case shows how officials continue to work against the public. He said civil lawsuits might be the only way to hold attackers accountable.

Kuehner said residents of Gilbert are demanding answers and action in the Goon attacks. He said the decision not to charge will leave them with even more distrust of authorities.

"The community's going to be pissed to hear this," he said. "It's just going to cause more chaos. I'm pretty much in shock."

Fallout: Chandler Unified principal on leave as 'Goon'-related legal claims stack up

Robert Anglen is an investigative reporter for The Republic. Reach him at robert.anglen@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8694. Follow him on X @robertanglen.

Reach reporter Elena Santa Cruz at elena.santacruz@gannett.com or 480-466-2265. Follow her on X @ecsantacruz3.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Gilbert Goon' case tied to principal turned down by prosecutors