ANAHEIM : Student Suspect Is Ordered Detained

Cordell L. Robb, the Loara High School student accused of shooting a boy in the face and holding a drama class hostage, was deemed too dangerous to release Tuesday and will remain in Orange County Juvenile Hall during his criminal case.

At a hearing to determine whether Robb should be turned over to his parents, Juvenile Court Judge C. Robert Jameson ruled that the 15-year-old represented a threat to himself and others and must be detained indefinitely.

Gary L. Proctor, a private attorney appointed by the court to represent Robb, did not oppose Jameson’s decision. Outside the courtroom, Proctor said the charges against his client were serious and that Juvenile Hall officials placed the youth on a “suicide watch” for a short time after his arrest.

Robb, reportedly beset with family problems, is accused of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, five counts of false imprisonment and bringing a firearm onto school grounds. If convicted, he could be imprisoned in the California Youth Authority until he turns 25.

On Thursday, the ninth-grader armed himself with a handgun and shotgun, walked into a drama class and shot Anthony Lopez, 15, in the left side of the face, authorities said. He held students at gunpoint for about half an hour while talking to police on a classroom telephone and then surrendered.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Robb--dressed in a blue T-shirt, jeans and blue tennis shoes--sat quietly at the defense table, his hands cuffed behind his back. His mother, Katherine McAfee, was in court with her sister, Patricia Sjogeren. Both declined to comment.

At Proctor’s request, Jameson appointed Dr. Ernest Klatte, a psychiatrist, to assess Robb’s mental stability and determine if the youth is fit to cooperate with his attorney. Proctor said Klatte’s conclusions will help determine whether he will pursue an insanity or diminished-capacity type of defense.

“It’s pretty clear, the young man is pretty disturbed,” Proctor said. “There appears to be a lot of abuse by his stepfather, both mental and physical, that had an effect on his psyche.”

Robb allegedly took the class hostage in an attempt to get his stepfather’s attention so they could discuss their problems, Proctor contended. He said that the family is moving to Northern California and that the boy no longer wanted to live with his stepfather.

“There are thousands of adolescents with these kinds of difficulties--the need to talk to someone,” Proctor said. “I hope this message will go out to parents before this happens again.”

Proctor raised similar theories during his representation of Joeri DeBeer, a Dutch youth convicted in 1986 of murdering Philip A. Parsona, who allegedly molested him for years. A jury found DeBeer guilty but pleaded for a lenient sentence. A judge placed him on probation.

Robb is scheduled to return to court Nov. 13.