Two 18-year-olds accused of plotting to blow...

Two 18-year-olds accused of plotting to blow up Burbank High School as revenge for verbal torments from other students each pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a single count of attempted explosives possession.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge will hold a preliminary hearing May 17 to determine if there is enough evidence to try Patrick Longmire, a Burbank High School special education student, and his friend Christopher Mannino of Van Nuys.

The two are in custody at Twin Towers Jail in downtown Los Angeles and face a mandatory 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 years in state prison if convicted, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Paul Sergojancq.

Sam Mannino, Christopher Mannino’s father, said his son had nothing to do with the alleged plot and police should have released the men when their search did not turn up any physical evidence.

“As far as I know, these accusations are absolutely false,” the elder Mannino said. “My son said he didn’t do it, and he has no history of violence.”

Longmire’s attorney, Darrell Lee Johnson, said he would not comment until he reviewed the law enforcement authorities’ evidence.

“If what the police said was true, they had probable cause [to arrest him],” Johnson said. “But I’m maintaining we don’t know at this time what exactly was said and what was done until discovery is completed.”

Officials Limit Access to Building

Longmire and Mannino were arrested Saturday after a parent tipped police that they had sought a third friend to help them make a bomb. The police found no explosives but said they had enough information to believe there was a threat.

The same was true with school officials, who tightened security Tuesday on campus.

Principal Leslee DeRoos told counselors and teachers to pay extra attention to warning signs. Entering and leaving the main building was limited to one doorway near the administration office. DeRoos prepared a letter to send to parents detailing the threat.

School officials said violence at the high school is rare.

During the current situation, DeRoos has drawn on her experience intervening in gang violence at her old campus in the Riverside County town of Perris.

This is DeRoos’ first year at Burbank High.

“My biggest problem here has been just rumors of what may happen,” said DeRoos, adding that each rumor or threat of violence is investigated thoroughly by police and school staff.

“But I have been in a district where we had gang violence acted out on campus. I can say this school is much safer than that.”

The Burbank Unified School District has a zero tolerance policy for violence, and DeRoos said Longmire will be expelled from Burbank High School whether or not he is convicted.

She said Longmire had a history of discipline problems at the school but declined to elaborate.

“You can’t try to make a judgment on whether the student is in special education or whether you believe they would have carried out the threat,” DeRoos said. “In today’s culture, you can’t take anything lightly.”

Family members said Longmire had been frustrated by students who teased him about a long-standing medical condition that left him with a limp. His grandparents said he suffers from seizures and cerebral palsy.

Longmire and Mannino were arrested early Saturday after a parent, whose child is a friend of Longmire, told police that she had learned about plans to place a bomb inside the school.

The police said the defendants had known each other for about four months and allegedly plotted to blow up the school.

The young man who was asked to make the bomb refused, police said.