Student pleads guilty

The 19-year-old student who was charged with making a criminal threat against Ramona High School has pleaded guilty to making a false bomb report.

Korey Robert Flad faces up to three years in prison, but a sentence with probation has not been ruled out, said Deputy District Attorney Heather Trocha. El Cajon Superior Court Judge Peter Deddeh set sentencing for March 18.

Flad is still barred from attending the high school as part of a court order and remains free on $50,000 bond. The criminal threat charge was dropped Feb. 8 after he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of making a false bomb report, which is also a felony.

Several students testified in a Nov. 10 preliminary hearing that Flad told them he had plans to blow up the high school and specified three areas. Flad reportedly said he had access to C-4 explosives or grenades. His home was searched by sheriff’s deputies on Oct. 23 and no explosives were found.

Deputies said it didn’t appear that Flad had any type of access to explosives Flad’s computer was seized to see if he had written anything about explosives.

His attorney, Eric Chase, could not be reached for comment after he pleaded guilty, but Chase had said earlier that Flad had never before been in legal trouble. Chase told a television reporter after the arraignment that this was “an unfortunate situation where some people were picking on him in school and he made some unfortunate comments.”

Chase filed a motion to dismiss the lone charge on Jan. 22, but a judge denied the motion.

Flad was a senior when he was arrested on Oct. 25. The restraining order forbids Flad from going within 100 yards of Ramona High School.