PONTIAC, Mich. (TND) — The parents of the suspect in a shooting at a high school in Michigan were each arraigned on four counts of involuntary manslaughter Saturday morning.
James and Jennifer Crumbley were found hiding in a commercial building in Detroit early Saturday after authorities spent hours searching for them when they failed to show up for an arraignment hearing on Friday. Both of them pleaded not guilty to the charges.
A judge set a bond of $500,000 each for the Crumbleys following their arraignment hearing Saturday morning.
On Friday, an attorney for the couple said they were not running from police but had left town earlier in the week out of fear for their safety. The attorney, Shannon Smith, said they intended to return to the area to be arraigned.
Detroit Police Chief James E. White was skeptical their intention was to face their charges at a news conference early Saturday morning.
“This isn’t indicative of turning yourself in — hiding in a warehouse,” White said.
White said the couple “were aided in getting into the building,” and that a person who helped them may also face charges.
Defense attorneys argued Saturday that prosecutors were "cherry picking" facts to release to the public, and maintained that the couple didn't intend to flee. Smith said she was in touch with the couple Friday and that prosecutors did not coordinate with them.
“Our clients were absolutely going to turn themselves in; it was just a matter of logistics,” she said.
McDonald said the couple took $4,000 out of an ATM Friday morning in Rochester Hills, about 32 miles from the courthouse they were arraigned in.
“These are not people that we can be assured will return to court on their own,” she said.
A Detroit business owner spotted a car tied to the Crumbleys in his parking lot late Friday, Oakland County Undersheriff Michael McCabe said in a statement. A woman seen near the vehicle ran away when the business owner called 911, McCabe said. The couple was later located and arrested by Detroit police.
He added that the parents appeared to be “distressed” when they were captured.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald filed four counts of involuntary manslaughteragainst the Crumbleys on Friday after she said they failed to intervene on the day of the shooting despite being confronted by the school about their son's behavior after a disturbing note was found on their son's desk.
Their son, 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, is charged with murder, terrorism and gun violations after four people were killed and seven people were injured in a shooting at Oxford High School earlier this week. Oxford is located about 30 miles north of Detroit.
McDonald said earlier this week that the Crumbleys committed "egregious acts" by buying a gun on Black Friday and making it available to their son. They also resisted having him removed from school when they were summoned for a meeting just hours before the shooting, McDonald said.
On Saturday, Smith dismissed prosecutors' accusation that the couple's son had unrestricted access to the handgun used in the shooting.
“Our clients are just as devastated as everyone else,” Smith said, adding that the gun “was locked.”
When announcing charges against James and Jennifer Crumbley, prosecutors gave a detailed account of the events that led up to the shooting.
On Monday, the day before the shooting, a teacher found him searching for ammunition on his cellphone. McDonald said Jennifer Crumbley was contacted by the school and texted her son, "Lol. I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught."
The prosecutor said they were called to the school the next day because of a note found by a teacher that showed a drawing of a handgun pointed at the words, "the thoughts won't stop help me." Another section of the note shows the words "blood everywhere" with a picture of someone who had been shot.
Between the gun and the bullet was a person who appeared to have been shot twice and is bleeding. He also wrote, “My life is useless” and “The world is dead,” according to the prosecutor.
The suspect's parents were advised to get their son mental health treatment within 48 hours. McDonald said the parents did not ask their son if he had a gun with him or failed to inspect his backpack and did not like the idea of their son leaving the school.
McDonald said Ethan's mom texted him saying "Ethan, don't do it."
Just hours later, he emerged from a bathroom with a handgun and opened fire on his classmates, investigators said.
James Crumbley called 911 to say that a gun was missing from their home and that his son could be the shooter. McDonald said the weapon was kept in an unlocked drawer in the parents' bedroom.
The gun used in the shooting was purchased by James Crumbley last Friday, four days before the deadly shooting. Prosecutors said Ethan Crumbley went with his father to purchase the gun and posted a photo of it on social media.
Jennifer Crumbley also posted on social media over the weekend, writing it is a "mom and son day testing out his new Christmas present."
In Michigan, there is no law requiring weapons to be locked away from children. However, the involuntary manslaughter charge can be pursued if prosecutors can prove they contributed to a situation where there was a high chance of harm or death. Asked at a news conference if the father could be charged for purchasing the gun for the son, McDonald said that would be the decision of federal authorities.
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Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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