A Plymouth teenager and his friend from Bourne have agreed to plead guilty in a Halloween explosion involving fireworks at Harvard Medical School.
Logan Patterson, of Plymouth, and Dominick Cardoza, of Bourne, each agreed to plead guilty to a single count of conspiracy to damage a building by means of fire and an explosive.
According to the plea agreement, prosecutors have agreed not to ask for prison time.
According to the charging document, at 2:33 a.m. Nov. 1, surveillance cameras captured two suspects wearing face coverings and lighting what appeared to be a Roman candle. Approximately 10 minutes later, the two defendants were allegedly seen climbing scaffolding on the side of 220 Longwood Ave. in Boston, and accessing the roof, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a Nov. 4 press conference. A short time later, campus police were alerted to a fire alarm from an explosion on the fourth floor of the building, which houses a laboratory for the medical school’s department of neurobiology.
Security video shows the defendants exiting the building through a first-floor emergency exit and fleeing in opposite directions between 2:45 and 2:50 a.m. They began ditching some of their clothes, Foley said.
According to the charging document, the explosive, which went off in a locker, is believed to have been a large commercial firework.
The men were identified by four Wentworth University students, according to the charging document. They had attended Halloween social activities at Wentworth and the next morning, Patterson, 18, allegedly told one of the Wentworth students that he and Cardoza, 20, had placed a cherry bomb in a locker.
The two men were arrested at their homes in Plymouth and Bourne three days later.
The men appeared in federal court Nov. 4 and were released on condition that they stay away from Harvard University and any associated buildings or property, refrain from possessing any firearm, destructive device, or other dangerous weapon or fireworks and avoid all contact with any witnesses.
Patterson was released into custody of his parents.
“He’s a very nice young man, comes from a great family, very responsible people, lovely people, and he’s got strong roots in the community, hardworking kid,” Kevin Reddington, Patterson’s attorney, told the Independent at the time.
The U.S. Attorney’s office in Boston has agreed to recommend a sentence of zero to six months for both men, specifying in the agreement that a prison sentence is not required. In an email, a spokesperson said the office will not recommend a specific sentence until a sentencing memo is filed closer to the sentencing date. The U.S. Attorney’s office is also recommending 36 months of supervised release, full restitution for damage to the locker at the medical school, and a fee of $100 to be paid to the court. A plea hearing has been set for April 21.
Reddington did not respond to requests for comment.
Fred Thys can be reached at fred@plymouthindependent.org.