Coral Springs Teen Accused Of Bringing Loaded Gun To High School Appears In Court
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CORAL SPRINGS (CBSMiami) – A judge decided Tuesday afternoon that the teen accused of having a gun inside the cafeteria at Coral Springs High School will remain locked up in juvenile detention.
While that hearing unfolded, CBS4 also learned that another Coral Springs teen is facing charges for a social media post related to the case.
Ryan Trollinger sat quietly in a courtroom Tuesday as his attorneys argued that he should be released from juvenile lockup and placed on house arrest.
They were unsuccessful.
Trollinger is accused of carrying a loaded 9-millimeter handgun into the cafeteria at Coral Springs High School on Monday, causing a code red lockdown for hours.
Coral Springs police said a pair of alert students told a school resource officer about the gun on campus and that officer arrested Trollinger – a former student at the school.
A witness said Trollinger flashed the gun to a student who was later found with a journal containing rage-filled paragraphs discussing school shootings.
In one passage, the student wrote, "I want to be the worst school shooter in America if I do the attack. I'm still not 100 percent sure I want to do this but I want to be the worst school shooter in America worse than Columbine, Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook."
Police said the student was taken to a mental health institution, but not before he told police about Trollinger's intentions with that gun.
"What happened today with our suspect Trollinger and then the journal recovered from the associate does depict that same kind of violence against the school, school shootings," Sgt. Carla Kmiotek said.
And on Tuesday, another Coral Springs teenager got caught up in this case.
Police said Sebastian Darrah was upset that Trollinger was arrested so he posted a threat on social media saying, "Watch out for round 2 tomorrow springs. We comin guns blazing you locked our (expletive) up."
After the court hearing, an attorney for Trollinger would not discuss the specific charges against the teen but did say this behavior is out of character.
"This young man is active in his church. He's never been in trouble before. And unfortunately, he was scheduled for a job interview today," Gordon Weekes said.
Police have not made it clear if they believe Trollinger and the teen with the journal were working together. They've only said that the pair previously discussed school shootings and school violence.
Trollinger's attorney cautions against making any snap judgments.
"It's premature to jump to a conclusion as to whether this child is linked to any other child, writing a journal or what's been reported is in that journal," Weekes said.
CBS4's Hank Tester spoke with Trollinger's Mom on the telephone and she said he's 17 years old so it is what it is and it is his business.
School district officials told CBS4's Carey Codd the district's special investigative unit is looking into all this, including how Trollinger made it into the school.
Coral Springs police wants to remind parents and their kids that police take social media threats seriously, and that someone can be arrested for threatening violence online.
If you witness any suspicious activity, Coral Springs police urge you contact their Make a Call, Make a Difference program at (954) 344-1800.
