John LaDue, accused of plotting MN school attack, says he has no desire to hurt people
"I have no desire to hurt other people."
That's what John LaDue – who just three years ago was accused of plotting to blow up his high school and kill his family – told the Star Tribune in one of a series of interviews he did with the paper over the past year.
When LaDue was 17, he was arrested after an alert citizen noticed him trying to get into a storage locker. There, he kept materials police said could be used to make bombs, adding he had a notebook that detailed a plot to kill his family and set off bombs at the Waseca high school. Prosecutors charged him with several felonies, including attempted murder, but the most serious charges against him ended up being dropped.
Last summer LaDue, who pleaded guilty to possessing explosives, moved back to his hometown of Waseca after opting to take a felony conviction over serving probation.
Since then, he's been working to rebuild his life and prove to the people of Waseca they have no reason to worry about him. Now 20 years old, he recently graduated from community college and has a job at a local manufacturer.
His parents told the Star Tribune they're encouraged with the progress he's made. LaDue says he's changed too, telling the paper his thoughts of greatness over others were wrong.
The Star Tribune story, published Sunday, goes into detail about what LaDue was like growing up, the aftermath of his arrest, the differing mental health diagnoses he's gotten, and his plans going forward.
It's definitely worth a look, and you can read the whole thing here.
