Psychologist: Teen charged in school plot needs adult monitoring

A psychologist who examined John LaDue, the Waseca teen charged with plotting to kill his family and high school classmates last year, told a judge Tuesday that having LaDue stand trial as an adult would provide more time for intervention and monitoring.

Katheryn Cranbrook, a witness for the prosecution who has worked on school shooting cases in Minnesota, testified that LaDue has mild to moderate autism spectrum disorder.

"His risk of future violence continues to be elevated," Cranbrook said.

Olmsted County District Court Judge Robert Birnbaum ordered the test, LaDue's second, to help determine whether the 18-year-old should be tried as an adult.

Cranbrook said LaDue likely would need more time for treatment than he would receive as a juvenile. She said it is difficult for someone with autism to shift out of a fixation on violence.

If LaDue is released too soon, Cranbrook said, there's a "significant risk of future targeted violence."

Last year, Waseca County prosecutors charged LaDue with attempted murder after police arrested him at a storage locker. A search of the locker and LaDue's house turned up explosives, a gun, bomb-making supplies and a journal that outlined his plans.

A district court later dropped the attempted murder charges and the Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld that decision. LaDue, who is housed in a juvenile facility in Prairie Lake, still faces six charges for possessing explosives.

Although jurisdiction in the juvenile system ends at age 19, it can be extended to age 21. But if LaDue is certified and convicted on all six remaining counts as an adult, he could face a sentence of 57 months, according to Drug Court Coordinator Nicole Grams, who testified Tuesday.

Defense attorney Stephen Ferrazzano said treatment available in the juvenile system is enough to address LaDue's needs.

"He doesn't have a prior record and he should be treated as a juvenile, not an adult," Ferrazzano said. "He can get the treatment, everything he needs, in a juvenile system without having to be certified as an adult."

If LaDue is certified as an adult and later convicted of a felony, he'll have a felony record, something his attorneys want to avoid.

Prosecutors declined to comment.

Both sides have until July 24 to submit closing briefs and findings to the court. Birnbaum will then have 15 days to release his decision on whether LaDue should be certified for trial as an adult.