A Madison County judge ordered the 2018 Noblesville school shooter to remain in custody until an investigation of a separate assault allegation is finished.
Madison Circuit Judge Stephen Koester said the teen remained a danger to the community because of his lack of remorse and empathy.
“Based on the totality of the circumstances in this case, the Court cannot say that it is in the best interest of the safety and security of the community for the Youth to be released pending the outcome of this new matter,” Koester wrote in his ruling.
The shooter was a 13-year-old student when he opened fire at Noblesville Middle School, injuring a seventh-grade science teacher and another student. He was scheduled to be released to home confinement for three years when he turned 18.
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But authorities in April reported that a Pendleton corrections guard said the boy “fist-bumped” her breasts twice, and the Madison County prosecutor is weighing assault charges against him.
Koester cited the teen’s “lack of remorse and empathy shown throughout the case,” and “flippant attitude” about the new allegation as reasons to keep him detained.
“The court finds the Youth is a risk to the community and out-of-home placement is in Juvenile’s best interests and well-being,” Koester wrote.
The judge’s order came despite a psychological evaluation that the teen was a low-to-moderate risk for violence and he acknowledged that the teen’s parents were “loving and appropriate” and had done “everything in their power to prepare for the youth’s return home.”
The teen will be transferred from the Hamilton County Juvenile Detention Center in Noblesville to the Madison County Youth Center Secure Detention Unit in Anderson.
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