South Dakota Teen Plotted To Bomb School, Rape Women
Posted: Friday, November 12th, 2010 at 10:23 am
A South Dakota teenager who wanted to become known as “the world’s most infamous sociopath” was arrested on August 23, after an alert tipster contacted a police school resource officer at Sisseton High School.
Joseph Thomas Hansen, 18, had written a list of the actions he wanted to take, including blowing up Sisseton High School, where he would have been a senior this fall; torture and rape women; target particular individuals; and “become the world’s most infamous sociopath.” He had been stockpiling bomb-making materials in his bedroom. Additionally, a search by investigators revealed that Hansen had extensively researched the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School, in Littleton, C.O., in which two students killed 12 classmates and a teacher, wounding 26 additional people, before themselves committing suicide.
Hansen had a list outlining 39 people he hated, and the reasons why. Detectives searching his home also found drawings of swastikas, instructions for making bombs, a video of explosives detonating, two gun, and documents discussing how to make napalm.
Two people told Roberts County Sheriff’s detectives that Hansen had said “he had enough fireworks to blow up Sisseton and that the first day of school would be a short one,” according to court documents.
Hansen himself told police during an initial interview after his arrest that he was fascinated by murderers and by mass murder, that he had read many books on the subject and wanted to learn what makes killers tick. He also said that he was interested in becoming a criminal profiler, and in possibly joining the Marine Corps.
He pleaded not guilty to charges of selling, transporting or possessing an explosive device and possessing substances with the intent to make a destructive device. He remained jailed in lieu of $500,000 bond as of Wednesday, and will return to court on September 14.
Claire City, where the Hansen family lives, is a very small town, with a population of only 85 people. The area around Sisseton, which is in northeast South Dakota near the borders of both North Dakota and Minnesota, is home to only about 2,500 people in total.
If convicted of all charges, Hansen could face up to 25 years in prison, said state Attorney General Marty Jackley.
“Thanks to an alert citizen and a school resource officer, they were able to prevent a very serious and potentially dangerous situation,” added Jackley.
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