Student bomber found guilty

Written By:
Stephen Donnelly

Published:
Nov. 06 2009

After months of uncertainty, 18 year old Yonata Getachew was sentenced to 14 months in prison.

In front of about 40 families, his October 7 court date finalized his punishment of 14 months in prison and five years on probation. The 161 days that Getachew had already spent in the Montgomery County Detention Center will be deducted from his sentence.

When police responded to reports of fires being set in Springbrook bathrooms, Getachew and codefendant Anthony Torrence confessed to the crime.

That is when knowledge of the intent of further crimes had surfaced and police and Springbrook officials realized what had almost occurred.

Authorities were able to thwart plans to puncture a gas pipe near by auditorium and to throw improvised incendiary bombs into science classrooms. Also, according to charging documents filed in the Montgomery County District Court, the defendants planned to throw a nail bomb into the principal’s office and a bag of rocks at a counselor.

Getachew pleaded guilty to some of his charges, including two counts of reckless endangerment for the bathroom fires and attempting to break into the gas line, first-degree arson and first-degree conspiracy to commit arson.

Initially there were additional charges that were later dropped when controversy over the mental stability of the defendants arose.

The two students were arrested on April 28 of last school year. After the detailed confession to officials, damage to a gas line in a science classroom was discovered.

Torrence, although initially charged as an adult, was finally sentenced as a juvenile with probation. Getachew, in addition to over a year in prison, will have five years of supervised probation following his release.. His family awaits his release eagerly.

There were many family members of Getachew, including his mother, Ayu Getachew, in attendance to show support for the tight-knit family.

Although the judge hearing Getachew’s case concluded that although Getachew seemed to be a good person, some crimes still need to be punished.

"I am very sorry," Getachew said during his court hearing. "I would never hurt anybody."