Device Found on Campus; 2 Detained

Two Valencia High School students, both 15-year-old boys, were detained Wednesday morning after admitting their involvement in planting a suspicious package in a campus locker room, authorities said.

About 2,600 students were sent home for the day after the device was discovered in a boys locker room trash dumpster, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Carl Deeley said.

“Right now, we believe they were the only two boys involved,” he said.

One boy was released into the custody of his parents. The other was being held in Juvenile Hall in Sylmar. Both face possible charges of possession of a destructive device, authorities said.

A student told Valencia High Vice Principal Les Luxmore that he had seen one of the boys place the package in the trash. Luxmore moved the device to the administration building before calling the Sheriff’s Department, Deeley said.

Following the school’s evacuation, members of the sheriff’s arson/explosives team removed and detonated the device. Deeley described it as “six metal cylinders taped together with wires running in and out of it attached to what looked like a timing device.”

Det. Greg Everett of the bomb squad said the remains of the device were collected and sent to a lab to determine if they were explosive.

After a search of the school grounds, sheriff’s officials determined the campus was safe. School officials announced that classes will resume today.