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Former Donna ISD students accused of planning school shooting sentenced to 10 years probation

1 month 20 hours 18 minutes ago Tuesday, March 26 2024 Mar 26, 2024 March 26, 2024 6:10 PM March 26, 2024 in News - Local

Two teens who admitted to planning a shooting at Donna High School in 2022 were sentenced Tuesday to 10 years of probation, court records show.

Barbarito Guillermo Pantoja, 19, and Nathaniel Seth Montelongo, 19, pleaded guilty on Monday to charges of conspiracy to commit capital murder of multiple persons.

Both teens were arrested on May 24, 2022, after police received an anonymous tip that stated the pair were planning a school shooting, according to a criminal complaint. 

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Two other unidentified individuals were also arrested in connection with the crime. 

Officers with the Donna ISD Police Department interviewed Montelongo at Donna High School, who confirmed the legitimacy of the threat and provided a detailed explanation of his role in the shooting that was supposed to take place on Friday, June 3, 2022 – the last day of school.

“Nathaniel Montelongo indicated that he, along with Barbarito Pantoja, and a juvenile subject, planned to enter the school…and shoot multiple persons with firearms,” the complaint against Montelongo said.

A search at Pantoja’s residence recovered “documents pertinent to the planning and execution” of the shooting, according to the complaint. A rifle and body armor were recovered after police detained the unnamed juveniles. 

The FBI, the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office and the police departments of the cities of McAllen, Edinburg and Pharr assisted in the investigation.

As part of their probation, both men must each pay a fine of $1,000 within one year, remain in Hidalgo County, observe a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., submit to random testing for alcohol and controlled substances, avoid bars and social media and contact with each other. 

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