Ashley Pardo, 33, has been charged with aiding in commission of terrorism.
SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Police Chief William McManus gave an update Thursday on the arrest of a San Antonio mother and her son on charges of terroristic threat, the first time someone has been charged with terrorism in San Antonio.
The chief says it’s a relatively new law that focuses on stopping violence during the planning phase.
Ashley Pardo, 33, was arrested on Monday after a months-long investigation into threats made by her 13-year-old son, a student at Rhodes Middle School on the city’s inner west side. Authorities said he had “a fascination with past mass shooters,” and was later allegedly found to have ammunition, a makeshift explosive and a note referencing mass shooting incidents.
Pardo is accused of giving or buying her son some of those items, including the ammunition, tactical gear and “various army clothing.”
Chief McManus said that an SAPD detective first contacted the boy in January over “concerning drawings” of Rhodes Middle School, including a map labeled “suicide route.” The student reportedly wrote out the name of the school with a muzzle flash drawn above it along with time stamps.
Police say they continuously met with family and the child offering help and resources.
Later, in April, Pardo’s son was suspended after he was allegedly researching two New Zealand mosque shootings that left more than 50 dead in 2019 on his school-issued computer. He was briefly assigned to an alternative school before returning to Rhodes last week.
School officials in SAISD implemented a security plan upon his return due to continuing concerns of targeted mass violence.
Pardo was made aware of her son’s threats and had been in contact with police, CPS and school personnel. Chief McManus said that she “expressed to the school her support” of her son’s “violent expressions and drawings,” and wasn’t concerned by them.
Pardo is accused of knowingly facilitating her child’s desire to carry out acts of mass violence. Pardo was issued a $75,000 bond, which she posted on Tuesday but there are a few more steps that have to happen before she is released from Bexar County Jail.
Chief McManus says it’s up to a judge to decide what happens next, and added that the best form of prevention is speaking up, this case started with a tip, and every tip is taken seriously by SAPD.