Teens charged in Mundelein High bomb threats expelled

Two teens charged with making bomb threats against Mundelein High School have been expelled, officials said.

Dylan Britt and James Voss, both 17, were among five students expelled by the school board Tuesday night. The other three were kicked out of school for their roles in an unrelated gang incident, Co-Superintendent John Barbini said.

The five expulsions ranged from 1½ to 2 years, Barbini said. The board approved all five punishments without opposition.

Barbini said he believes the expulsions were appropriate disciplinary steps.

Neither Britt nor Voss could be reached for comment.

Britt and Voss, both juniors at Mundelein High, were arrested late last month and charged with falsely making terrorist threats. They each face up to 15 years in prison, if convicted.

Britt, of 1314 Marlborough Court, and Voss, of 1104 W. Crystal St., sent e-mails to school administrators Jan. 25 that warned of a bomb at the school, police said.

The campus was locked down for the day until authorities determined the threat wasn't legitimate.

Police and school technology staffers tracked the e-mails to Britt and Voss, authorities said. Both admitted sending the messages, police said.

Britt and Voss are free on bond. Court information was not immediately available.

Neither teen attended Tuesday night's board meeting at the school. Both were represented at an earlier hearing about the issue, however, Barbini said.

Board member Karen Havlik called the incident unfortunate, but said the teens could not remain in school because of the severity of the criminal charges against them.

"We have to do what's best for the student body as a whole," Havlik said.

She said she hopes the teens can learn from the situation and make better choices in the future.