Honors student faces charges on explosives By Sofia Casillas A former San Ysidro High School student accused of setting off explosives as a senior prank pleaded not guilty to felony charges June 18. Elphbert Laforteza, 18, was charged with possession of destructive items, materials to assemble an explosive device and having a destructive device near a school. If convicted, he is looking at a maximum sentence of six years in prison. San Diego Superior Court Judge H. Ronald Domnitz released Laforteza under the condition that he regularly report to a court officer. He is expected to return to court for a readiness conference on July 13 and for a preliminary hearing Aug. 10. The readiness conference is where the prosecutor, defense lawyer and judge discuss the facts of the case and settle on a date for the preliminary hearing. At the preliminary hearing the judge will determine if the case will go to trial. The judge told Laforteza that police can search him at anytime and he has to stay at least 100 yards from any school property unless he enrolls as a college student. He cannot be in possession of any weapons and has to be home from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Mary Loeb, a deputy district attorney, said Laforteza can be arrested if he does not comply with the rules. Shortly after his 18th birthday, three out of 12 bottle bombs that he placed in trash cans near the student lunch area at school popped. Students saw Laforteza putting objects into trash cans and he was later taken into the office. The school was on lockdown until 4 p.m. and a police arson and hazardous waste teams were called. Any other students involved in the incident have not been identified. "The district attorney is very open to the fact of investigating other students involved," said defense lawyer Daniel M. Smith. The bottles were filled with acid and household chemicals. Laforteza did not think his prank would result in felony charges. "He is remorseful for his actions," Smith said in an interview. Laforteza was a scholar-athlete at his school and had even received a ROTC military scholarship that was revoked after the prank. His future is uncertain until his verdict is determined. "He has set his mind to make this as positive as he can to move on," Smith said. Smith said other students were involved, but they remain unidentified. Smith thinks his defendant's harsh sentence may be discriminatory since Laforteza is Filipino. "It would be difficult to find anything that differentiates him other than his race," Smith said. More than 30 friends and relatives showed up to the arraignment. A few of his friends were wearing "We love and support Elphbert" T-shirts. Through his lawyer, Laforteza warned other high school seniors that seemingly playful pranks can have serious consequences. • • • Vox is the newspaper of the 2009 CCNMA-San Diego Multicultural Journalism Workshop. Return to index | See also: Vox on Blogspot