Sep 23, 2009 3:03 pm US/Pacific
San Mateo HS Bombing Suspect Pleads Not Guilty
REDWOOD CITY (BCN) ―
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Alex Youshock stands behind a glass partition during a previous court appearance.
CBS
A 17-year-old boy who has been charged as an adult in San Mateo County Superior Court for allegedly bringing weapons and explosives to Hillsdale High School in San Mateo in August pleaded not guilty to felony charges Wednesday afternoon, including attempted murder.
Alexander Robert Youshock appeared in court at 1:30 p.m., handcuffed and dressed in a yellow jail sweatshirt, and remained quiet as Judge Mark Forcum set a preliminary hearing date of Nov. 17. It was the third time Youshock has appeared in court since his arrest on the day of the Aug. 24 incident.
Forcum also kept his bail status at no bail due to the "serious nature" of the charges. He remains in custody at Hillcrest Juvenile Hall.
Youshock is charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of exploding a destructive device with intent to commit murder, one count of possession of a destructive device in a public place, one count of use of explosives in an act of terrorism, and two counts of possession of a deadly weapon.
Police said Youshock set off two pipe bombs inside a hallway at the high school shortly after 8 a.m. on Aug. 24. He had also allegedly brought a chainsaw, a 2-foot sword and eight more homemade pipe bombs onto the campus.
He was arrested after being tackled by a teacher. No one was injured.
His attorney, Jonathan McDougall, who was appointed to represent Youshock by the county's private defender program, asked Forcum not to allow news cameras in court for further proceedings, saying the extensive media coverage of the case may prevent Youshock from receiving a fair trial in San Mateo County.
Forcum, however, denied McDougall's request.
Assistant District Attorney Karen Guidotti, who is prosecuting the case, said the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office decided to charge Youshock as an adult in part because of the planning involved in bringing so many weapons onto campus.
Youshock is scheduled to return to court at 9 a.m. on Nov. 17 for his preliminary hearing, which is scheduled to take up to a full day.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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