In May, the schoolboy arrived on campus ‘wearing a mask, camouflage jacket and tactical pants but left shortly after’, police confirmed – before later catching up with him away from the school and charged him with terrorism.
According to court documents, his mom Ashley Pardo had taken him to a military store where she bought him the gear, including ammunition. The 33-year-old reportedly purchased the equipment as a reward ‘in exchange for babysitting his siblings’, officials claim.
Meanwhile, the teen’s grandmother blew the whistle on her grandson as she rang the police to inform them of her fears, after he told her that he was ‘going to be famous’ before leaving for school on May 12.
Who is Ashley Pardo and her son?
Ashley Pardo is a mom of at least two children – the first being the 13-year-old who she is accused of having been complicit in his plans to carry out a school shooting. The other known child being an infant, who at 11 months old, she took a picture of herself pointing a shotgun at her baby.
Her teen son was a student at Jeremiah Rhodes Middle School and was a known delinquent, with court records noting that he was accused of setting fires in dumpsters near apartment complexes when he was just 11 years old.
It has also been reported that the teenager has previously been found hitting a live bullet with a hammer.
Both Pardo and her son remain in custody.
Why have police not named the boy?
In the US, children under the age of 18, who have been arrested in relation to a crime, are awarded anonymity until adulthood or up until their case is transferred to an adult court.
In this instance, Pardo’s teen son’s identity will be protected by law in the initial stages of the case, but could be released if a judge ruled that it is in the public’s interest due to the severity of the case.
Charges Ashley Pardo faces and court orders
Pardo has become the first person in Bexar County history to face a charge of aiding in the commission of terrorism, after officials accused her of arming her 13-year-old son with a plot to carry out mass violence at his San Antonio middle school.
