FRESNO (KMJ) — The 18 year old Buchanan High School student, who allegedly threatened a shooting at his own high school graduation, entered a not guilty plea inside Fresno County Superior Court.
Kyle Dwelle’s arraignment Thursday morning came after he was arrested on two counts of felony criminal threats of death or great bodily injury on Monday. Clovis Police reported that a handgun had been recovered during the investigation, and the prosecution detailed that the defendant had tried to access other weapons as well.
“He’d made steps to purchase a firearm,” explained Fresno County Deputy District Attorney Andrew Janz. “He reached out to a firearms dealer and a friend he knew to possess illegal firearms.”
The defense argued that Dwelle had no previous criminal record, and added after the hearing that he was not going to hurt anyone.
“This is a boy that needs to understand what he might have done and get on with it and deal with it,” said his attorney Roger Nuttall. “He’s not going to hurt anyone I can assure you of that.”
The incident prompted Clovis Unified School District to issue a restraining order stopping Dwelle, preventing him from coming onto campus and protect students and employees. That was approved by Judge John J. Gallagher during Thursday’s proceedings. The order detailed that Dwelle “made a statement to one student that he wants to ‘shoot up’ the Buchanan High School graduation ceremony, and made a statement to another student about ‘shooting up different places with his gun.'”
“As a school system we feel it’s important to also pursue every measure available to us,” said the district’s Kelly Avants.
“In this case that includes a restraining order as one more barrier that we can take and put between our schools and someone who has expressed the statements that were expressed.”
In a review hearing the following day, bail was denied with Judge John J. Gallagher stating that he appreciated the comments made by both sides “but this is a troubled young man.”
The defense in the Kyle Dwelle bail review says he needs psychiatric treatment, and brought the man set to employ him to explain the job he’d lined up. The prosecution says the 18 year old is an “extreme risk to public safety.” More on @KMJNOW. pic.twitter.com/T4E0vZO6Pi
— Dom McAndrew (@DomMcAndrew) June 8, 2018
Hear the report from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
