Waseca Superintendent Credits God For Foiling Teen's Plot

WASECA, Minn. (WCCO) -- It wasn't typical for churches in Waseca to host services Friday night, but the past few days have been anything but normal.

"It's hard for you to understand, and it's hard for you to answer the questions for your child, too," said Lori Mariner, a resident who attended a church service Friday evening.

She also showed up at another event: a meeting for parents to ask questions about disturbing plot uncovered by authorities.

Seventeen-year-old John LaDue, they say, had been plotting to kill his family, bomb his school and shoot as many students as possible.

But what Mariner really wanted to know is if it's safe for her kids to return to school?

That's a question Waseca Public Schools Superintendent Tom Lee says he has been asked over and over.

"Answer is: Danger has been removed, and it's safe and we're good," Lee said.

Without getting specific, he said the school will soon be more secure.

"While some might say it was blind luck, I think God was looking over us," he added.

And he's not the only one in Waseca that thinks that.

"He's with all of us, and protecting all of us," said another woman who lives in Waseca.

She and others have been praying for LaDue, his family and the town as a whole.

"Praise God that it didn't happen, and that everybody's OK," she said.

Many students in Waseca gathered Friday night for another reason. It was one of the town's biggest events: the school's variety show.

The superintendent says the community was focused on that Friday night, while John LaDue was in jail, facing charges of attempted murder.