Ex-Student Sentenced to 3 Years for Making Bombs in His Home

A former Hueneme High School student who was arrested within days of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre for manufacturing bombs in his bedroom was sentenced Wednesday to three years in state prison.

Jose Carlos Hererra, 20, could be released from custody in as little as three months because he has been in custody for nearly two years on felony charges.

He was arrested in April 1999 after a classmate told police he had threatened to blow up the Oxnard campus using homemade bombs.

Although Herrera was an A student with no criminal record, Oxnard police took the threat seriously and evacuated more than 200 people from homes in his neighborhood.

Police searched the house, and a bomb squad removed 42 devices from the teenager’s bedroom. Four turned out to be live explosives.

Herrera later admitted making bombs and pleaded guilty last fall to two felony counts, including possession of explosives with intent to destroy property or injure people.

On Wednesday, he stood before Superior Court Judge Bruce Clark and explained that he was “just playing around” because he hoped to someday become a military demolition expert.

“I wanted to be a soldier--not a monster,” Herrera said. “I am not a menace to society.”

Herrera apologized for causing panic at his school. He told Clark he regretted making the explosive devices and has learned from his mistakes. “My life will never be the same because of this mess,” he said.

A Hueneme High School teacher and a former classmate also spoke at the sentencing hearing, telling the judge they do not perceive Herrera as a threat.

But Deputy Dist. Atty. Roger Inman argued that regardless of whether Herrera intended to harm anyone, his bomb-making activities put the community at risk.

Inman asked Clark to impose a four-year prison term and “send a message that this type of activity is not acceptable.”

Clark agreed, but noted that Herrera has no criminal record and was a good student.