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Police in Pennsylvania have thwarted a school shooting spree planned by a Montgomery County high school student. 15-year old Richard Yanis of Pottstown, Pennsylvania has been arrested and is being charged with attempted murder. Police say the boy was planning to go on a shooting spree at Pottstown High School. He stole a 45mm,  22mm and  .357 magnum with 300 rounds of ammunition from his father and intended to use the weapons to carry out his plan.

The case of the stolen weapons has been under investigation since November 11th when the boy’s father reported the guns stolen. It took police a month to discover that the guns had been stolen by the man’s son. According to reports the boy had given the weapons to a friend to hold. The friend at some  point told either his mother or step-mother about it and the mother or step-mother made him toss the guns and the ammunition into Pottstown’s Manatawny Creek (Note: There are various versions of how the friend came to throw the weapons into the creek). Police say the friend did not know what Yanis was planning to do with the weapons. Consequently the friend is not being charged.

Once school officials were notified of the plot, security at the school was increased. This forced a change in plans for Yanis who, allegedly, then rescheduled the planned shooting spree for after the new year. Yanis is being charged with Attempted Murder with a Deadly Weapon in anticipation of the crime. People in his neighborhood describe Yanis as a polite young man while peers at Pottstown high school describe him as aloof and an outcast.