Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 22, 1994                   TAG: 9404220203
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER Note: below
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

STUDENT HELD FOR SETTING OFF AN EXPLOSIVE

Police have asked juvenile court authorities to charge the boy with possession and use of an explosive device, a felony. Police and school administrators would not release his name.

The teen-ager is accused of lighting the explosive - which police said may have had the power of one-fourth of a stick of dynamite - about 10:10 a.m. outside the school library, as students were changing classes. The boy pulled the explosive from his backpack, lit it and placed it on the sidewalk, police said.

Students ran when the device was lit. The noise from the blast sent several students to the school nurse, complaining of ringing in their ears. Two students were referred to an audiologist for further examination, according to police.

Elizabeth Lee, high school principal, said no disciplinary action will be taken against the student by the school until police have finished investigating. She added that the school system's new student behavior and disciplinary guidelines send a strong message about carrying weapons.

According to the guidelines, principals can recommend expulsion, but the School Board has veto power. Earlier this week, a middle-school student was expelled for carrying a military knife. In the past two months, four students have been kicked out for bringing weapons onto school property.

Fragments from the explosive will be examined by technicians at the police forensics lab. Police said it was wrapped in a red material with German printing and a plastic fuse.