Teens face felony counts

kcrawford@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6242

ATLAS TWP. - Two boys from the Grand Blanc area, ages 14 and 15, are in custody on allegations they fired shots into a Goodrich party store and at a Genesee County Sheriff's Department deputy Friday.

But while Genesee County Sheriff Robert J. Pickell said Monday the boys had planned to shoot others, the father of one of them denied they were on a wild crime spree.

"We believe from our investigation that they were going to kill indiscriminately," said Pickell at a press conference on the events Friday in Atlas Township.

"These boys had the opportunity to kill or rob people if they wanted to, but they didn't kill or rob anyone," said Dan Schell of Grand Blanc Township, who said he is the father of the 14-year-old. "What they may have talked about, and what they actually did, are two different things.

"I'm not going to defend what my son did, but the authorities are making things sound like they were on a murderous rampage, and that's not true." Schell

He said what his son did was wrong, but doesn't rise to the level of a felony for which the teen could face life in prison if charged as an adult.

In Michigan, the decision to charge a teen as an adult is up to the prosecutor, and Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said he will make that decision about the teens this week.

As of Monday, the teens are charged as juveniles with assault with intent to murder, two counts each of assault with a deadly weapon and a charge of carrying a concealed weapon.

Both students attend Second Chance, a Grand Blanc School District program for students who have been expelled. Grand Blanc Superintendent Michael Newton declined to comment until he was briefed about the specifics of the case.

Pickell said the teens took two handguns to school, planned to shoot someone in order to steal a car, fired at a county sheriff's deputy outside a Quick-Sav party store in Goodrich where they shot out the front window, and even planned to shoot employees at athe Last Chance store in Atlas Township. The weapons, .22-caliber and 9 mm handguns, had been stolen from a grandfather of one of the boys, Pickell said.

The sheriff said events began at 1:30 a.m. Friday as the two teens were walking down M-15 near Hegel Road when Deputy Matthew McKay drove up to see what they were doing. The boys fled, Pickell said.

At 3 a.m., Quick-Sav employees reported gunshots had been fired through the store's window. When McKay responded to the scene, more shots were fired. Pickell said an investigation showed the teens were attempting to shoot the deputy.

At 9 p.m., after deputies had spent the day warning area merchants about the Quick-Sav incident, a Last Chance employee reported two suspicious teens were hanging around. A deputy responding to that call pulled over a vehicle containing the two teens and one of their grandfathers, Pickell said. The 14-year-old surrendered quickly and so did the other teen's grandfather, but the 15-year-old boy attempted to drive away.

Pickell said that teen "smashed into an obstacle" and was arrested. Deputies subsequently recovered the two guns.

"These are two very dangerous young people," said Pickell, who added the teens had planned to shoot Last Chance employees to get a car.

But Schell said he was present for the questioning of his son, and said his son told authorities nothing about planning to shoot anyone in order to steal a car. While Schell said he doesn't know what the 15-year-old told police, his son told them they stopped at the Last Chance store to call for a ride home.

"My son didn't say anything about robbing or shooting anybody at that store," Schell said. "The only thing he talked about was that he was cold and wet and wanted to go home."

Schell said that the two teens are fans of the rap group Insane Clown Posse, and that their goal was to run away from home, steal a car and visit the rappers in the Detroit area. He said his son told authorities his friend took his grandfather's guns to school in a backpack.

Schell said the teens broke into a garage and stole vodka and marijuana, which they used on the night they fired shots at the party store.

The shooting at the party store shocked residents like Tiffany Beath, who moved to Goodrich in August. She believes the village should consider having its own police department.

"I'm glad I installed an alarm in my home," said Beath, 27. "We moved from Davison to the area because it was a quiet little town and had great schools. I'm very surprised."

Journal staff writer Linda Angelo contributed to this report.

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Journal staff writer Linda Angelo contributed to this report.