Noblesville school shooter will not be sent home, judge orders additional detention
The teen who shot two people at a Noblesville middle school in 2018 will not be released to his parents after prosecutors convinced a Hamilton County judge he wasn't ready to be let out of the county's custody.
"The juvenile is a risk to the community, and the court does not find it consistent with the safety of the community and best interests of the child to be released to his home," Hamilton Superior Judge Michael Casati wrote in an order issued Monday.
The shooter was originally going to be let out with a GPS monitor when he turned 18 earlier this year but a corrections employee accused him of fist-bumping her breast. Now he'll be kept in the secure unit at the Hamilton County Juvenile Service Center, and has a hearing scheduled Oct. 4.
More: Noblesville school shooter's release nixed after he touched corrections employee's breast
After that he'll be sent to a residential facility for more rehabilitation "before reintegration into the home and community is in the juvenile's best interests and well-being," Casati wrote.
IndyStar has asked the shooter's attorney Ben Jaffe for a response and whether he plans to appeal the decision.
2 people wounded in 2018 school shooting
The shooter has been in custody since he opened fire at Noblesville West Middle School on May 25, 2018, when he was a 13-year-old student. No one was killed, but two people were wounded by gunfire: another 13-year-old student and a seventh-grade science teacher. The teacher, Jason Seaman, brought the shooting to a halt when he tackled the shooter to the ground.
IndyStar is not naming the shooter because he was charged as a juvenile.
On the cusp of his release this spring, a corrections employee at the Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility accused him of fist-bumping her breast. The allegation set off a law enforcement investigation in Madison County that ended with the shooter admitting in July he committed battery against a public safety official — a Level 6 felony if he had been charged as an adult.
More: Noblesville school shooter to remain in custody on assault charge
Prosecutors argued the act raised red flags about his lack of empathy. During her testimony at an April hearing, the employee said she felt "violated," though she didn't think it was sexual.
At that hearing, Jaffe said the act was inappropriate but compared it to "goofing off," and said keeping him away from his family longer risked hampering his integration into society. “There’s always going to be this lens on him,” Jaffe said.
Assessments give different outlooks on crime, violence risk
Casati, who reviewed the evidence as a temporary judge, noted in his order the battery occurred despite "years of intensive rehabilitation" through the Department of Correction.
The judge also noted the shooter underwent a youth assessment in Madison County that found he was at a high risk to reoffend. Another doctor recently determined the shooter had a low to moderate risk of committing violence, according to Casati's order, but the judge said he disagreed with that take given the assessment in Madison County and the shooter's history.
This article is developing and will be updated.
Call IndyStar courts reporter Johnny Magdaleno at 317-273-3188 or email him at jmagdaleno@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @IndyStarJohnny
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Noblesville school shooter not going home, judge orders more detention
