Brothers plead innocent in school attack charges

By Scott North

Herald Writer

Two teen-age brothers from Arlington pleaded innocent Thursday to a variety of felony charges linked to allegations that the pair brought fear to the Lakewood High School campus.

David Thomas Lengenfelder, 17, appeared briefly in Snohomish County Superior Court, where he was arraigned as an adult on one count of first-degree kidnapping and two counts of second-degree assault.

Meanwhile, Lengenfelder’s younger brother, 15, was in juvenile court facing a felony harassment charge.

Prosecutors say David Lengenfelder showed up at school Monday, carrying two large knives. He was later arrested inside a high school English class.

Lengenfelder told police he hoped to hold a 15-year-old female classmate hostage and wanted to convince her that she had nothing to fear over a series of sexually explicit and threatening letters he’d sent her in November, prosecutors say. He had earlier been expelled and was convicted in juvenile court of felony harassment for the letter writing.

Lengenfelder on Thursday was ordered jailed in lieu of $100,000 cash-only bail while awaiting trial, now scheduled for late June. If convicted, he could be sentenced to about 12 years in prison, prosecutors said.

His younger brother was arrested Wednesday evening. Prosecutors allege the 15-year-old assisted in writing harassing letters.

In addition, he allegedly admitted that he had been aware of his brother’s plans for the attack at Lakewood and did not report it. On Thursday, he was ordered kept in juvenile detention in lieu of $50,000 bail.

You can call Herald Writer Scott North at 425-339-3431

or send e-mail to north@heraldnet.com.

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