Ex-Student Sentenced to 14 Months

Youth Accused in 2 Small Fires Set at Springbrook High

A former Montgomery County high school student was sentenced to 14 months in jail Wednesday in a case that began with startling allegations of planned violence but ended with lesser pleas linked in part to two small fires set at his school.

Yonata Getachew, 18, received credit for time spent in jail, meaning he could be released by summer. Montgomery Circuit Court Judge Michael D. Mason also sentenced him to five years' supervised probation upon his release.

"The length of probation is reflective of, I think, the enormity of the risk if his mental health problems go untreated," Mason said.

In April, Getachew and Anthony Torrence, a fellow student at Springbrook High School in White Oak, were charged with plotting to kill their principal. The students also were accused of plotting to trigger a major explosion inside the school.

Torrence earlier had accepted responsibility for lesser offenses. The fires, started in one case by lighting papers and in another by spraying lighter fluid, left charred spots on the ceilings of a locker room and bathroom. The juvenile court system ordered Torrence to perform 100 hours of community service.

The original, more serious charges fell apart this year after Torrence met with investigators and prosecutors to clarify his original statements to police. During that meeting, Torrence denied any agreement to harm the principal.

Both teenagers were described as special-needs students by their attorneys or relatives. Mason said he was concerned about evidence showing that the students had tried to tamper with a gas line in the school. Getachew had earlier pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment related to the gas line.

Getachew's attorney, David Putzi, said that when Getachew was arrested, he was in denial about what had happened and about his anger at the school system. "Now, the conversations we are having are looking to the future," Putzi said.

At Wednesday's hearing, Getachew was again supported by a large group of friends and family members, about 34 people, many of whom had submitted letters on his behalf.

"The family and friends paint a glowing picture of the defendant," Mason said. "And in large part I think that that's probably reflective of who is. But that doesn't mean that that's all that he is. . . . There's this other side to him that was exhibited at the school, perhaps infrequently, but nevertheless was exhibited."

"I would like to say I am very sorry for what I've done," Getachew told Mason. "But I believe that it's very important for the court to know that I would never hurt anybody."