Mom charged with buying guns for son

Liebling:-))) · 10-15-2007, 05:15 AM

Mom charged with buying guns for son
Boy is suspected of plotting attack on Pa. high school

MSNBC and NBC News
Updated: 10:58 a.m. ET Oct. 12, 2007

Quote:

NORRISTOWN, Pa. - The mother of a 14-year-old who authorities say had a cache of guns, knives and explosive devices in his bedroom for a possible school attack was charged Friday with buying her son three weapons.

Michele Cossey bought her home-schooled son, Dillon, a .22-caliber handgun, a .22-caliber rifle and a 9 mm semiautomatic rifle, authorities said. The teenager felt bullied and tried to recruit another boy for the possible attack at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School in suburban Philadelphia, authorities said.

Police officials told NBC News that the boy had confessed to plotting the attack.

Acting on a tip from a high school student and his father, police on Wednesday found the rifle, about 30 air-powered guns, swords, knives, a bomb-making book, videos of the 1999 Columbine attack in Colorado and violence-filled notebooks in the boy’s bedroom, Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor Jr. said.

Cossey, 46, of Plymouth Meeting, bought the rifle, which had a laser scope, at a gun show on Sept. 23 and provided police with a receipt, investigators said in court papers. The teenager said the two .22-caliber weapons were stored at a friend’s house.

Father a felon
The boy’s father also tried to buy his son a rifle in 2005, but was not allowed to because he was a felon, police said.

The teen had a brief court appearance Friday at which the county public defender’s office and prosecutors agreed to continue holding him while they do psychiatric evaluations.

The boy was led out of the courtroom in shackles and he didn’t comment.

His mother was charged with unlawful transfer of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a minor, corruption of a minor, endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of reckless endangerment. She was not accused of helping the teen plot an attack, “but by virtue of her indulgence, she enabled him to get in this position,” Castor said.

The teen’s father, Frank Cossey, was sentenced to house arrest for lying about his criminal record when he went to buy a .22-caliber rifle for his son in December 2005, police said Friday. On his application he said he had never been convicted of a felony, but he had pleaded guilty in 1981 to manslaughter in a drunken driving death in Oklahoma and sent to prison, police said.

No sign of imminent attack
Castor has said he does not believe an attack was imminent or would occur at all. He said Friday that the teen had a “disturbed mind.”

“This was a smart kid that clearly believes he was picked on and was a victim,” Castor said. “He had psychological issues and began to act out on those feelings.”

On Thursday, Castor said he felt police were instrumental “in stopping a potential Columbine-like shooting.”

Mom charged
Oct. 12: MSNBC's Clint Van Zandt talks about the charges against Michele Cossey.
MSNBC

Police, who searched the home with the permission of the teen’s parents, also discovered seven explosive devices Castor has described as homemade grenades: plastic containers filled with pellets to which gunpowder could be added. Authorities said one grenade was operable and the others had been in the process of being assembled.

The search did not turn up any ammunition for the most dangerous firearm in the bunch, the assault rifle.

Police also found a DVD titled “Game Over in Littleton,” about the attack at Columbine, and three books: “The Anarchist Cookbook,” a 1971 book outlining how to manufacture explosives; an Army counterinsurgency operations manual; and “Hitler’s Second Book: The Unpublished Sequel to Mein Kampf.”

In April 1999, two disaffected teenage boys killed 12 fellow students and a teacher and wounded 24 other people at Columbine High School near Littleton, Colo.

The teen previously attended middle school in the district but had been taught at home for more than a year after voluntarily leaving school, Castor said.

Castor said investigators were reviewing material on the boy’s computer and in his diary.

Scared at school

Classes proceeded as normal Thursday after Colonial School District officials issued a text alert to parents saying police had determined “that the school and its students were never in danger.”

But the arrest created anxiety at the school, coming on the same day that a 14-year-old boy in Cleveland opened fire at his high school, wounding four people, before killing himself. Some parents rushed to the school to pick up their children to find a chaotic scene.

Ann Marie Walter said that when she got the message on her phone, she was “scared to death.”

“This is a terrible thing,” Walter said. “It’s not even close to home — it is home.”

Mom charged with buying guns for son - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com

Phillips · 10-15-2007, 07:33 AM

Sheesh!

Cheri · 10-15-2007, 08:52 AM

Some role model parents who supports violence? Eh? a good example of this is bad parenting.

This is just terrible.

Angel · 10-15-2007, 10:54 AM

Sheesh..unbelievable!!

J'explique · 10-15-2007, 02:21 PM

Way to go, mother. [/sarcasm]

Seriously, where is the discipline and most importantly where is her common sense?

Tousi · 10-15-2007, 02:54 PM

Maybe I read the article too fast but I'm not getting the connection between this kid's being home-schooled and the actual school mentioned in the article.

Reba · 10-15-2007, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tousi

Maybe I read the article too fast but I'm not getting the connection between this kid's being home-schooled and the actual school mentioned in the article.

The boy used to attend public school. He only transferred to home schooling because he felt picked on at the other school.

"The teen previously attended middle school in the district but had been taught at home for more than a year after voluntarily leaving school, Castor said."
Mom charged with buying guns for son - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com

Maybe the kids at the targeted high school used to be his classmates at the middle school.

GalaxyAngel · 10-15-2007, 03:37 PM

Wha...a... model mother?

Oceanblue7 · 10-15-2007, 04:24 PM

I saw that the other day while at the gym on the tv there. The mom was walking in court with her son. She looks odd crazy story.

Liebling:-))) · 10-16-2007, 07:04 AM

Yes it's unbeleivable to know that the parents teach their children to shot or threaten with gun to the bullies at school... It's really scary...

IslandGal · 10-16-2007, 07:32 AM

Yea, I read about it a few days ago.....

These kind of parents are unfit to have kids

TweetyBird · 10-16-2007, 08:57 AM

oh man i cant believe abt mother! gee!

Texan Guy · 10-16-2007, 02:47 PM

WTF?!

Reba · 10-16-2007, 02:49 PM

A very troubled family indeed.

***VamPyroX*** · 10-16-2007, 03:31 PM

W... T... F... !?

Boy... crazy!

Freaky Cat · 10-16-2007, 03:45 PM

wow.. mother is unfit to be taking care of the kid.. why buy guns for the son? thats not right.. sheesh...

cherry · 10-23-2007, 09:33 PM

unbelievable!!

VanG · 10-28-2007, 03:58 PM

at son

at mother

I don't understand at all. Like my friend used to say "let's not working so hard to understand people at all." Sheesh

horselover61 · 10-28-2007, 09:10 PM

Geez I wanta HYAH to the mother. When is the world it gotta stop this nonsense. I may not see any good thing come out of from this world.

10-15-2007, 07:33 AM	#2 (permalink)
Phillips Lets ride horses! Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Somewhere in Northeast Posts: 5,921 Blog Entries: 3	Sheesh! __________________ *Enjoy life today, Yesterday has past and Tomorrow may never come.*

10-15-2007, 08:52 AM	#3 (permalink)
Cheri Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: All I wanted was a white knight with a good heart, soft touch, fast horse, ride me off into the sunset Posts: 20,212	Some role model parents who supports violence? Eh? a good example of this is bad parenting. This is just terrible. __________________

10-15-2007, 03:37 PM	#8 (permalink)
GalaxyAngel That's me! Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Ontario,Canada Posts: 13,436	Wha...a... model mother? __________________ Parents' proud of Logan.

10-15-2007, 04:24 PM	#9 (permalink)
Oceanblue7 My Lucky dog Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: back yard Posts: 3,549 Blog Entries: 4	I saw that the other day while at the gym on the tv there. The mom was walking in court with her son. She looks odd crazy story. __________________ All year round Patriots Gal Ps.103:12 He washes our sins away into the ocean

10-16-2007, 07:04 AM	#10 (permalink)
Liebling:-))) Hiiiiiii it's meeeeee Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Germany Posts: 24,137	Yes it's unbeleivable to know that the parents teach their children to shot or threaten with gun to the bullies at school... It's really scary... __________________ sniffing you

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10-15-2007, 10:54 AM	#4 (permalink)
Angel Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 18,691	Sheesh..unbelievable!!

10-15-2007, 02:21 PM	#5 (permalink)
J'explique Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 288	Way to go, mother. [/sarcasm] Seriously, where is the discipline and most importantly where is her common sense?

10-15-2007, 02:54 PM	#6 (permalink)
Tousi Registered User Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 6,917	Maybe I read the article too fast but I'm not getting the connection between this kid's being home-schooled and the actual school mentioned in the article.

10-16-2007, 07:32 AM	#11 (permalink)
IslandGal Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sunshine State Posts: 4,158	Yea, I read about it a few days ago..... These kind of parents are unfit to have kids

10-16-2007, 08:57 AM	#12 (permalink)
TweetyBird Summer, Summer 08 Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: AlAbAmA Posts: 21,013	oh man i cant believe abt mother! gee!

10-16-2007, 02:47 PM	#13 (permalink)
Texan Guy IRELAND FOREVER! Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Ireland Posts: 1,574	WTF?! __________________ I am infected with your stupidity!

10-16-2007, 02:49 PM	#14 (permalink)
Reba Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 15,631	A very troubled family indeed.

10-16-2007, 03:31 PM	#15 (permalink)
*VamPyroX* bloody phreak from hell Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Hell Posts: 25,898	W... T... F... !? Boy... crazy! __________________ Check out my city... CLICK HERE! (If you already visited yesterday, visit again today!)

10-16-2007, 03:45 PM	#16 (permalink)
Freaky Cat Space - it's like heaven! Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: ArKaNsAs Posts: 10,038	wow.. mother is unfit to be taking care of the kid.. why buy guns for the son? thats not right.. sheesh...

10-23-2007, 09:33 PM	#17 (permalink)
cherry Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 101	unbelievable!! __________________ Deafloves.com: online community for deaf, ASL and hearing-impaired friends and singles! Have fun with photos, message boards, chat, blog and more.

10-28-2007, 03:58 PM	#18 (permalink)
VanG VanAlldeaf.com :) Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 236	at son at mother I don't understand at all. Like my friend used to say "let's not working so hard to understand people at all." Sheesh

10-28-2007, 09:10 PM	#19 (permalink)
horselover61 Neigh!!! Neigh!!! Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 5,136 Blog Entries: 2	Geez I wanta HYAH to the mother. When is the world it gotta stop this nonsense. I may not see any good thing come out of from this world.

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