Teacher Arrested; Allegedly Brought Dynamite to School

A longtime Pomona High School teacher was arrested after he allegedly brought 10 sticks of dynamite to school in a white cardboard box and told the school principal that he had found it by a trash bin, authorities said Wednesday.

Chris Robert Hawks, 43, of Rancho Cucamonga was arrested on suspicion of possession of explosives shortly after the 7:30 a.m. incident Tuesday, Pomona Police Sgt. Michael Ervin said. Hawks is being held at Los Angeles County Jail on $500,000 bail.

Investigators said Hawks finally admitted bringing the dynamite, but they are unsure why he had it.

Hawks, an independent study teacher who has been with the district for 15 years, has been placed on paid administrative leave, said Cassandra George, assistant superintendent of the Pomona Unified School District. Pomona police, the Los Angeles County Fire Department and the Los Angeles County sheriff’s arson/explosives detail came to the scene, evacuated several buildings and deactivated the dynamite.

Things were back to normal in less than two hours, said Tony Aragon, the chief of the Pomona district’s school police. Investigators found several loaded handguns and a fuse used to detonate dynamite in Hawks’ car, said Lt. Bill Christiansen of the arson/explosives detail.

Christiansen said Hawks told investigators that he had received the dynamite from a former student who lives in Colton. Hawks said he brought the dynamite to campus so that the bomb squad could properly dispose of it, Christiansen said.

Authorities served a search warrant at Hawks’ home and and found additional time fuses there, Christiansen said.

Hawks told the school’s principal that he took the dynamite to her office because he thought it would be safer if it were kept in the refrigerator, Christiansen said.

Aragon and other school officials expressed amazement at the incident.

“He was a well-liked teacher,” Aragon said. “It’s a tragedy this whole thing happened.”