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Benson student faces 19 charges after hydrogen sulfide incident at Portland school
A 15-year-old is due in Multnomah County juvenile court after prosecutors accused him of bringing chemicals to Benson Polytechnic High School and mixing them in the cafeteria. More than 100 students were evaluated after the early-September incident; none besides the teen was taken to a hospital, officials said.
A 15-year-old student accused of bringing toxic chemicals to Benson Polytechnic High School and mixing them in the cafeteria is scheduled to appear in Multnomah County juvenile court at 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6.
The teen faces 19 charges, including attempted murder and domestic terrorism. Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez has said the domestic terrorism charges are the first of their kind brought against a juvenile in Oregon.
Police said the student brought chemicals from home in early September and mixed them at the school. He inhaled the resulting fumes and collapsed. Staff provided what officials described as life-saving care before he was taken to a hospital, where he survived.
More than 100 students were evaluated after the incident, but no other students were transported to a hospital. Crews detected hydrogen sulfide at the scene.
Prosecutors contend the teen posed a risk to the community and hoped other people would become ill. They have cited school video that they say shows him arriving with chemicals, gloves and goggles, as well as writings on social media and devices seized during the investigation. Those materials include references to a group called 764.
The charges are allegations; the teen’s scheduled juvenile-court appearance is the next step in the case.