Ashley Pardo of San Antonio, Texas, was arrested on May 12 on a charge of aiding in the commission of terrorism

Pardo, 33, is accused of buying ammunition for her son who planned ‘mass violence’ at a middle school in Bexar County, Texas

Charging docs accused Pardo of “facilitating [her son’s] desire to carry out his threats”

Pardo was released from custody on a $75,000 bond

Ashley Pardo, [photo], 33, was arrested on May 12 on a charge of aiding in the commission of terrorism, for aiding in her son’s plan of carrying out “targeted mass violence” at his Texas middle school, police in Bexar County said

San Antonio resident Ashley Pardo was arrested on May 12 after police say she aided in her son’s plan of carrying out “targeted mass violence” at his Texas middle school. Authorities in n Bexar County accused Pardo, 33, of aiding in the commission of terrorism.
San Antonio Police say Pardo purchased ammunition and tactical gear for her son, a student at Rhode Middle School, had “a fascination with past mass shooters,” according to an arrest affidavit.
It’s not the first time the boy and his mother have attracted the attention of authorities, according to local media reports.
Police interviewed the boy in January after school officials notified authorities when they found drawings he created that included a map of the Rhodes campus labeled “suicide route” and the school’s name written out with a rifle and muzzle flashes above it. There were also specific times listed on the drawings, according to the arrest affidavit.
Authorities at Rhodes Middle School said just two months later, the same student was researching the New Zealand’s 2019 Christchurch mosque shooting where of 51 people were killed and 89 injured on a school-issued computer.
Following this incident, the boy was suspended, which led to his attempting self-harm, reportedly requiring more than 100 stitches. However, when he returned to Rhode Middle School on May 7, following a stint in an alternative school, his actions were so concerning to school officials that they updated their security plan in preparation for his return.
Arrest records say the investigation began after law enforcement became aware of drawings by Pardo’s son, which included a map of the school with the label “suicide route” and a sketch of a rifle.
Police spoke with him about the drawings in January. Two months later, he was suspended after researching on his school computer the 2019 mass shootings at two mosques in New Zealand that killed more than 50 people, the arrest affidavit says. He was suspended and sent to a secondary school until May 7.
On May 12, a relative of the boy contacted police after she discovered an improvised explosive device, live ammunition and magazines for a rifle and a pistol in the boy’s possession, according to arrest records. The boy had previously told the relative that his mother had bought him the ammunition and tactical gear, including a helmet and camouflage military fatigues.
The relative searched the boy’s belongings after he told her “he was going to be famous” before his mom picked him up for school, the affidavit says.
Later that day, the boy was arrested off-campus, said Rhodes Middle School Principal Felismina Martinez in a statement posted on the school’s Facebook page.
“Please know we take all potential threats seriously and act immediately to protect everyone in our care,” the statement said. “We will always remain vigilant to ensure our learning and working environment is safe and secure.”
The affidavit said Pardo was aware of her son’s behavior and had told school officials that she was not concerned. The mother supported her son’s “violent expressions and drawings,” Martinez said.
Courts records also say she bought him the ammunition and tactical gear in exchange for him babysitting his younger siblings.
In the charging affidavit investigators noted that because of “[Pardo’s] refusal to see [her son’s] concerning behavior and her assistance in gathering items for him that have been found to have been used in other acts of mass targeted violence, it is believed she is facilitating [her son’s] desire to carry out his threats”.
Pardo was released from custody on a $75,000 bond, according to the Bexar County criminal court docket.