‘SCHOOL SHOOTER’ PARENTS’ $1M BAIL

The parents of a Michigan teen accused of killing four classmates and wounding seven others last week with a gun they gave him as an early Christmas present pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges Saturday. Their bail was set at a combined $1 million.

Jennifer and James Crumbley each face four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the Oxford HS rampage blamed on their 15-year-old son, Ethan. Each count is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

The son was charged as an adult with four counts of first-degree murder, one count of terrorism causing death, seven counts of assault with intent to murder and 12 counts of possession of a firearm. He faces life in prison if convicted.

The three Crumbleys are all being held in the Oakland County Jail, each in isolation and under suicide watch, Sheriff Michael Bouchard said at a press conference Saturday afternoon.

They are not able to interact, according to the sheriff.

Judge Julie Nicholson set bond for each parent at $500,000 and required GPS monitoring if they pay to be released, after a contentious discussion with the couple’s lawyers over their apparent flight from law enforcement.

Defense attorney Shannon Smith, who once represented former Olympic physician Larry Nassar, accused prosecutors of “cherry-picking” facts to release publicly, including the accusation that their teenage son had unrestricted access to the handgun his father bought for him on Black Friday. At 15, Ethan is too young to legally own a handgun in Michigan.

Smith and attorney Mariell Lehman said they were in touch by phone with their clients and had texted prosecutors on Friday regarding their planned surrender Saturday morning.

“They were not fleeing prosecution,” said Lehman. “Our clients were absolutely going to turn themselves in; it was just a matter of logistics.”

The Crumbleys were arrested at around 1:30 a.m. Saturday after they were discovered hiding in an art studio in a commercial building in Detroit, about 50 miles from their home. They had stopped not far from the courthouse where they were expected but failed to appear Friday afternoon and withdrew $4,000 from an ATM. Charges may be filed against the person police believe let them into the building, Bouchard said.

During the hearing, Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald detailed a series of what she called “egregious” actions the Crumbleys took that supported the charges, including buying the gun, making it available to the 15year-old and declining to remove the teen from school after they were summoned to discuss a drawing of a gun with the words, “The thoughts won’t stop, help me,” and a picture of a bullet with the words, “Blood everywhere,” found on his desk just three hours before the shooting.

Michigan law allows for prosecution of someone who contributed to a situation where there was a high chance of harm or death.

Among the factors McDonald cited in court were Jennifer Crumbley’s social-media posts and texts sent to her son.

She had posted a photo of the 9 mm handgun on Instagram on Nov. 27, stating that it was “Mom and son day” at the shooting range and that she had bought the weapon “for her baby” for Christmas.

After she was contacted by the school when a teacher found Ethan searching for ammunition on his phone, the mother sent the boy a text message that said, “Lol. I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught,” according to McDonald.

And on Tuesday, the Crumbleys were called to the school at 10 a.m. after the teacher found the frightening sketches, but the parents never mentioned the gun and didn’t take their son out of class.

“They chose not to tell anybody that he might be dangerous when it was clear, and they had every likelihood [to believe] that he was, and instead they left,” McDonald said.

After the active-shooter announcement went out, Mrs. Crumbley texted her son, “Ethan don’t do it, ’’ McDonald said. At the same time, the father went to the home to search for the weapon, which was missing.