California teen may avoid jail despite being accused of trying to recreate Columbine shooting

ONTARIO, Calif. - Shocking and shameful is how some parents in California are describing a plea deal offered to 18-year-old Sebastian Villaseñor. 

The teen who is accused of planning a mass shooting at Ontario Christian High School. 

"This isn't about politics or tough on crime or whatever you want to call this; it's about public safety and the safety of children," said a father of a high school student.

Back in February, when a tip led to the arrest of Villaseñor, Ontario Police stated the 18-year-old admitted he had been planning to kill students at his school. 

"When we arrested Villaseñor at his residence, we collected numerous weapons: seven rifles, two revolvers, one handgun, and one shotgun. We also seized over a thousand rounds of ammunition," said Ontario Chief of Police Mike Lorenz. 

The investigation revealed that Villaseñor allegedly had an obsession with school shootings and was plotting a massacre on the 25th Anniversary of the Columbine shooting. 

The detectives also discovered disturbing online searches. 

"There were over 4,000 searches. He was searching like how to rip out a human being's throat with his bare hands. How much pressure that physically took, what kind of bullets will pierce the police officers’ vests when they get here? How long will it take for the police to respond to a school shooting," says Bobby, a parent whose daughter was allegedly one of the intended victims. 

Villaseñor was charged with five counts of attempted murder and one count of attempted criminal threats. He plead not guilty. 

Now, these parents say the San Bernardino district attorney has notified them of a plea deal that includes no prison time, three years of felony probation, and an order to stay away from Ontario Christian and the intended victims. 

Villasenor's attorney, Daniel DeLimon, issued the following statement: 

"We have always maintained Sebastian's total and complete innocence to the attempted murder charges and the claim he allegedly "plotted or planned" a school shooting. In our view, the evidence in this case has never supported those allegations. The proposed plea agreement seems to reflectan understanding that those allegations could never be proven in a criminal trial. Sebastian and his family are eager to put this legal nightmare behind them and hope he can find a way to move forward with his life in a positive direction after this event." 

The plea deal has been scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 30, 2024, at the Rancho Cucamonga Courthouse.