Texas Parents Charged in Middle School Terror Plot

Ashley Pardo, a 33-year-old mother from San Antonio, Texas, has been charged with aiding in the commission of terrorism and child endangerment after allegedly arming her 13-year-old son with tactical gear and ammunition for a planned school shooting at Rhodes Middle School. Authorities revealed that Pardo gave her son the equipment in exchange for babysitting his siblings, while the teen had drawn maps of the school, idolized white supremacist shooters, and researched the Christchurch massacre. A relative alerted police after finding ammunition and homemade explosives in the boy's possession, leading to his arrest on terrorism charges. Pardo faces additional charges after investigators found a 2023 photo of her pointing a shotgun at her 11-month-old daughter and sending it to the child's father. Her husband, Mario Porras, was also recently arrested on child endangerment charges. The case has prompted increased school security and ongoing police involvement with the family.