April 24, 2001

SAN DIEGO – A Maryland teen pleaded innocent Tuesday to charges he sent Internet messages threatening to repeat a school shooting at Santana High School.

Patrick Andrew Smith, 18, of Walkersville, Md., entered the plea to two felony counts of making criminal threats.

Defense lawyer Stephen Cline told reporters Smith had no intention of committing any violence at the Santee campus, where two students were killed and 13 people wounded when freshman Charles Andrew "Andy" Williams allegedly opened fire on March 5.

Cline said Smith suffers from attention-deficit and bipolar disorders and was joking when he sent the messages to two 15-year-old Santee girls.

"He recognizes how stupid this was," Cline said.

Even if Smith had intended the threats, he had no ability to carry them out, his lawyer said.

According to prosecutors, one message said: "I'm finishing what Andy started and this time it's going to work." Another warned: "Don't you dare go to school on Friday. I don't want you to be caught when I try to finish what Andy didn't complete."

One of the girls who received the messages is a student at Santana High.

Prosecutor Michael Groch said the threats were taken seriously.

If convicted, Smith, who is also charged with two misdemeanors, could be sentenced to up to three years and eight months in prison. Groch said he expects to discuss a possible plea agreement with the defense.

Cline noted that Smith, who earns income by trading antiques over the Internet, has no criminal record and no history of violence.

A San Diego Superior Court judge reduced Smith's bail from $250,000 to $200,000 but declined Cline's request to lower it further.

A preliminary hearing was set for May 11.

Williams is awaiting a judge's ruling, expected Friday, on whether he can automatically be charged as an adult with 28 felonies, including two counts of murder for the Santana shooting.