Teen charged with stealing money, THC vape from Adams High classmate before stabbing him

SOUTH BEND — A teenage boy faces criminal charges following last week's stabbing at Adams High School, with prosecutors saying the 15-year-old stole THC vape cartridges and money from his classmate at knifepoint before stabbing the victim. 

The boy is accused of armed robbery, two counts of battery and bringing a weapon onto school property, all of which would be felony charges if committed by an adult. 

The Tribune does not name juvenile suspects unless they are charged in adult court.

Police and medics were called to Adams shortly after 8 a.m. on Jan. 11 after teachers and the school's student resource officer found a student with stab wounds in a second-floor bathroom. The student told police five males attacked him, according to scanner traffic from the incident.

Multiple South Bend officers and medics responded and the victim was taken to the hospital. Police detained and questioned "several" juveniles that morning, though only one remained in custody by the end of the day.

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Court documents say the accused assailant stabbed his classmate in the rib cage and that the attack caused "extreme pain." The 15-year-old threatened the victim with a knife and took "currency and/or THC cartridges" from him, the documents say.

Officials said on the day of the stabbing that the victim was in stable condition at a local hospital. There has been no update on his condition since then.

The school was placed on lockdown immediately after the incident, as detectives investigated the scene. According to a letter to Adams parents from principal James Seitz, the lockdown was lifted late that morning and students returned to classes. 

Proceedings against the boy will take place in probate, or juvenile, court unless prosecutors try to move the case to superior, or adult, court. The boy has been in detention at the Juvenile Justice Center since the incident. 

Indiana law states a probate court shall waive jurisdiction to superior court in cases that would involve felonies if committed by an adult, “unless it would be in the best interests of the child and the safety and welfare of the community for the child to remain within the juvenile justice system."

In general, the state’s decision to transfer the case to superior court is based on a number of factors, including the nature of alleged offense and the juvenile’s history and age.

The superior court system generally has more severe sentences should a defendant be convicted of a crime, as sentences, or dispositions in probate courts are often focused on rehabilitation rather than punishment.

Email Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@sbtinfo.com. Follow him on Twitter: @marek_mazurek