CHAMPION CASE Court frees man on bond, but he must get rid of explosives, weapons

A warrant was filed Friday in municipal court, records show.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- A 36-year-old Champion man whose son brought explosives to Champion High School was freed on $750 bond after entering no plea at arraignment in municipal court this morning on a felony charge of possession of a dangerous ordnance.
As a condition of the bond, Timothy Cook of State Road was ordered to rid his residence of all explosives and weapons.
Atty. John Shultz, who represents Cook, brought Cook to court today after agreeing to surrender him on a warrant that was issued Friday. Further court proceedings are pending.
Police have said Cook used to work in coal mines and had explosives stored in his garage. He told authorities, however, that he didn't know they were still there.
Pleaded guilty: Cook's son, Timothy Ben Cook, 17, pleaded guilty last week to delinquency by way of assault on a school administrator and delinquency by way of unlawful possession of a dangerous ordnance.
Timothy Ben Cook will be sentenced in about a month and will remain in the county juvenile detention center until then. He could receive up to a year in an Ohio Department of Youth Services facility, said his attorney, Maridee Costanzo.
What happened: Champion police said the teen-ager brought explosives to school Feb. 14. Officials said the youth told them he planned to set off the explosives after school. Police said a struggle took place between the teen and an assistant principal, who was not seriously injured.
Costanzo declined to say why her client brought the explosives to school.
Champion Police Chief Dennis Steinbeck has declined to specify the explosives but said they are equivalent to two sticks of dynamite.
Last month, police said, Timothy Ben Cook and a 16-year-old friend took an explosive material from his father's garage. The mother of Timothy Ben Cook's friend found the material in the trunk of her car and called police.
sinkovich@vindy.com