Student facing terrorist threat charge pleads to lesser crimes

A Port Washington High School student who was charged with making terrorist threats in January after writing in a text message that he would “change lives” in one of his classes and bringing a 10-inch knife to school pleaded guilty to lesser charges in Ozaukee County Circuit Court last week.

The pleas of 18-year-old Dashiell Reinders, who was 17 when he was arrested, were accepted during a Sept. 30 hearing by Judge Sandy Williams, who found him guilty of disorderly conduct with the use of a dangerous weapon, possessing a dangerous weapon at school and sending a computer message that threatened injury or harm, all misdemeanors.

Williams withheld a sentence and placed Reinders, who lives in Wauwatosa, on probation for two years. 

Reinders had been prohibited from having contact with Port Washington High School since his bail was set on Jan. 10, and as a condition of his probation he must continue to not have contact with the school. 

According to a criminal complaint, at 9:35 a.m. Monday, Jan. 6, Port High Principal Rachel Biertzer called police officer Jason Bergin, who serves as the Port Washington-Saukville School District  school liaison officer, to the school and told him that a student had informed a staff member that Reinders sent concerning text messages on Saturday, Jan. 4.

In those messages, Reinders threatened to hurt others and wrote that he would “change lives” in his Advanced Placement European history class, the complaint states. 

He was in that class when staff members took him to the office and searched his backpack. In it, they found a 10-inch kitchen knife, the complaint states.

Bergin reviewed text messages sent by the defendant, including ones that read, “I have a knife in my backpack and nobody knows it is missing. In AP Euro I will change lives.”

“I hate people so much, man.”

“Yeah, I’ll just physical harm them instead no big deal.”

When the recipient of the messages responded by telling Reinders he didn’t really want to hurt people, Reinders wrote back, “No, I do actually I think.”

When asked why he wanted to hurt people, Reinders wrote, to “get the anger out.”

Reinders also sent text messages about engaging in self-harm, according to the complaint.

When interviewed by Bergin, Reinders admitted to sending the messages and said he wrote them out of frustration and didn’t intend to hurt anyone at the school, the complaint states.

When Bergin asked him why he had a knife in his backpack, the defendant said he meant to take it out of the bag before coming to school but forgot. 

Confronted about the statements he made about hating people and wanting to harm them, the defendant said he didn’t mean anything by those comments.

While talking with the defendant, Bergin noticed he had signs of self-harm and requested the help of the Ozaukee County Human Services Department. The defendant was taken to a hospital for treatment before being booked in jail.

As conditions of probation, Williams ordered Reinders to complete 50 hours of community service during the first year of his probation, write a letter of apology to the school, continue any appropriate mental health treatment, maintain absolute sobriety and be employed or in school full time.

The judge ordered the knife Reinders brought to school forfeited.

Williams also granted Reinders’ request that his record be expunged if he completes probation without violating any of the conditions.