Give me a break. I know these two kids. They are harmless but south carolina is going to make them look like criminals. Just kids being goofy.

I hope you're right, Tom, but I suspect they're awfully lucky that the man who picked up the bottle noticed the chemical reaction. I hate to think about what would have happened to the man and the boys if he was still holding that bottle when it detonated.

Thanks, Jerry, that's good information about the effects of this kind of bomb.

Im sure most of these people have never made mistakes before in their life. James you are completely out of line to berate these kids based on appearance. A bomb seems bad but this is basically a prank. No worse than throwing a bottle of diet coke and mentos.... These kids(for that is what they are) are harmless just needing strict guidance.

To all of those saying how these guys are 'thugs' and 'animals', I have to say that Evan and Josh are good people. Evan goes to my church and is not what the article depicts him to be. Sure, what they did was very dumb and illegal, but hasn't everyone done something in their lives where they would get in serious trouble if they were caught? But 20 YEARS?!? You are talking about putting them in jail until they are 37! By this time, most people have gone to college, gotten married, had kids, and are in stable jobs. Evan and Josh would just be getting out of jail at that time and with a FELONY conviction making it nearly impossible to get a job. Okay, sure... scare the crap out of them, give them a nice fine, and make them sit in jail for a month but convicting them of a felony will NOT teach them a lesson, it will ruin their lives.

I want to pose a question to all of you,and I doubt most of you will answer honestly but I doubt most of you will.
Would you be fighting the same fight if they were black? Or Hispanic?

I think that rooting for these two jokers is like rooting for OJ Simpson. They obviously knew what they were doing, especially with the man in the front yard. He could have maybe lost some digits or even an entire limb from the ezpelosion. Explosives are dangerous, no matter how small. These two jokers NEED to be locked up for at least a year or two.

And Mack, now you're saying that capital punishment should be brought into this?

Well I think they need to be Locked Up for more than a year or two or so. Maybe even ten

No, maybe not CAPITAL punishment, but these two jokers could end up being the next Al Capone's and OJ Symptoms and Eminems. They need better parents

Thank you Mack. I agree 100%. I think the parents need to be accountable as well.

Clearly y'all need to stop worrying about these kid's punishment... thats for the law to decide... not you. It doesn't matter what their race is or what school they come from. The point is these kids made a mistake and their lives should not be ruined because of it. And don't even try to put the blame on "bad parenting"... I know plenty of amazing and loving parents whose kids make bad decisions. Why don't you go back and focus on your own life... not theirs.

Comparing kids to OJ Simspon? Really? Lets get real. It's you people that make these situations worse. Do you have nothing better do to? Don't judge them or the parents. You don't know them. If you feel SO strongly about them being locked up then become a darn lawyer and make it happen. Otherwise, get your pathetic butt off here already.

Mr. Jacobs:
I'm sure that's just what they and their parents told the police. Walton families are so pompous and self-dignifying that the perps' families would be shunned from the community. I'm sorry to say that that's just how it works over there.

I'm comparing these kids to OJ because he got off scotch free and I'm worried that these jokers will get off scotch free as well. If kids have nothing better to do than smoke heroin and make explosvies then they do need to be locked up. And I'm a hundred percent sure that if they had better parents, they would be better kids. The apple never falls from the tree, as they say.

Gale- don't comment without having your facts straight. They go to Wheeler. Now you just look dumb.

Thanks Dick. I't people like you whom that I would elect for president.

Dmitri, I discipline my kids so that they don't grow up to be like these jokers. I don't have to worry about my kids doing stuff like this

Dmitri, I am very glad no one was killed, but I'm defending the prniciple of the issue. Make an example of these jokersS. I like the sound of you, kid

No, nobody needs to be sent to jail for this. A forensics unit? Are you kidding me? This is being blown out of proportion. This is two kids who played a prank. Years in prison? absolutely not. The worst that could have come from this was a minor skin abrasion to the man who picked up the bottle. To call what they did a bombing is humerous. And to everyone judging these kids, their parents, and their school, you are just flat out ignorant. A fine and community service should be all that comes from this. Anything otherwise is not just.

Josiah, Im sorry but community service is the only thing appropriate. There is no principle of the matter, this is such a minor event that is being blown out of proportion.

That mans hand could not have been severed from his body. It is not that kind of explosion, it make a loud sound and a little bit of fluid could have landed on the mans hand, causing a minor skin abrasion, (which didn't even happen).

The law must be upheld

Go get searched while in the possession of "legal spice", boy. Then talk to me after you get out of jail.

Its nice to see we're all getting along

Deleting all my comments, seriously tired of arguing with people who i don't know, and they dont know Josh or Evan, i wish best of luck to both of them and im sure ill see both of them soon! All of you can say whatever, the judge is going to decide what happens not you! best of luck!

I can't believe people would even consider 4 years. I think a day would pretty much set them straight. Imagine being in their shoes. At that age being locked in a jail cell will make you realign your morals. I think it's fine to scare them at first, but pursuing anything more is absolutely crazy. We have real druggies and real terrorists in the world to worry about. Not two 17 year old kids.

The entire goal of prison is a correctional institute. Putting them in for a year or more will make them miss some of the most important years to set up the rest of their life. What could they go to when they got out? Crime is likely because their lives would already so messed up. It would be going against the entire purpose of correctional institutions. Putting them in for a few days would scare them, set and example to the public that this won't be tolerated, and not destroy their lives. It just seems like the most logical conclusion.

I've had a works bomb explode in my hands, it was a pretty big one too. nothing happens.All y'all who think these are terrible explosive devices that can do so much damage don't know what you're talking about. I've had some go off in my yard, I think it's a funny prank.

Also for people referring to morals, it really depends on how you define morals in general. Some have referred to the boys' nature and morals but that is entirely besides the point now. We know what they did was wronso now the argument is how the punishment should be carried out. That is where morals come in. According to the utilitarian principal, the morally correct choice would be the choice has the biggest overall benefit. Inflicting an extreme punishment would ultimately have only one bad result- the kids' futures. Letting them off with a relatively minor disciplinary action according to the crime would have the more beneficial result because they still have their lives ahead of them. From what is gathered about these kids from the community, I think it is reasonable to say that they are good kids who made a bad decision which means there would be no negative results. Again, this seems way more logical than your more emotionally favored arguments supporting ultimately the morally wrong choice.

In response to Smith,
Fortunately in our country we have something called a "Common Law" system where a rational person, will ultimately get to decide what is just. Yes, it was a federal crime, however does that mean that these two kids should receive months or years in prison? Absolutely not.

Please keep the language clean. I had to delete a couple of comments simply because they include words that aren't allowed, and that led to deleting one other comment that responded to a deleted comment.

you all are a bunch of idiots. I assume how pointless it is to take the time to write on here what you guys are arguing about. The person who had the bottles thrown in their yard defines the term "idiot". I hope he reads this and realizes that a stupid prank that was harmless is now bound to ruin each of these individuals lives. Bomb? You've gotta be F*%ing kidding me. It makes a loud noise. end of story. there is no such thing as a works water bottle bomb harming an individual or any land structure of some sort. You people who think these kids deserve to be punished for this are straight up idiots who shouldnt even be here in the first place. i know both of these kids, played baseball this summer with Evan and realized how much of an amazing person he and how harmless he can be. Bottle bombs are pranks for god sake! Nothing harmful in them! The only count that should be on the record is Evan's possession charge. People make mistakes in their lives and realize it later on. Evan and Josh should not be sitting in jail, but appologizing to the family of the houses these bottles were thrown at, and BAM! Problem solved with nothing major to pay for. You are all so ignorant and self-centered. I can only wish that you people sooner or later come to realize the situation that they are in because of this. I would be laughing at this if i was sitting in jail becuase of how f&*@ing dumb all of this is. You people are ridiculous.

Okay Non of you know Evan or Josh! It was a prank! The bom would not have hurt the guy. Like really! I mean they are a bunch of teenage boys yeah it was stupid but they are good kids and they attend WHEELER HIGH SCHOOL not Walton! Big difference! Team Evan and Josh!

none* and Bomb*

FYI: Josh and Evan made bond Monday night, so they are out of jail, though not out of the woods. http://patch.com/A-nHRg

I'm rooting/praying for these guys all the way. I hope they have Jesus.

Boys will be boys...this saying has been around since time began and cavemen's adolescent sons tossed a baby cave lion into the gathering to see everyone scream. Did they make a bad decision yes, and luckily no one was hurt. However, back before 'zero tolerance', when people had common sense, the boys would be served up a dose of humiliation, have to apologize and do some community service, learning that they did not want to repeat their actions. 90% of kids never do another stupid thing again, 10% might. Are we so scared of our shadows that we punish everyone as if they are the 10% on the way to a life of crime or do we show them some compassion and help them to learn to become productive members of a civilized society?

If you knew these kids, you would realize how ignorant your labels like "punks" and your comparisons to OJ and Timothy McVie are. If you took the time to research what they built and threw, you would realize how inaccurate even calling them a bomb is, let alone contending that someone could lose a finger or a hand from having one blow up while holding one. If all it takes is potential energy and this level of explosion to quealify as a bomb, then loosening a soda cap, shaking it up and throwing it is making a bomb, too. Again, ignorant statement. If you knew the parents involved, then you would realize how ignorant calling them irresponsible or worse is. The irony and hypocrisy of them having such excessive charges thrown at them in South Carolina, a state which so garishly hawks fireworks at every border crossing to those from states like Georgia where these are illegal, is amazing. Bottle rockets, smoke bombs, M80s, heck even sparklers are more dangerous than what these kids threw. Let their parents and the school hand out consequences, keep the courts and jails available for truly dangerous criminals. The sensational scare tactics employed here are an insult to the brave men and women who deal with real bombs and real crime every day.

JohnTurner,your defensiveness has caused you to misinterpret what I wrote. I didn't blame the parents.I said the boys were taught better than that and have hurt their parents by their actions. I know Mrs. Denning and have met Josh. I don't know Evan (but only heard good things about them both)nevertheless, their actions were irresponsible& served no other purpose than to annoy/negatively affect others for the sake of a few laughs (Duh, a prank). Pranks don't usually receive positive reactions. Throwing something that can "explode" or have any chemical reaction was not done in the best interest of the pet, child or person that they could have hit or may have come in contact with when thrown in the yards. What was next? I'm sure the marijuana in the car was part of yet another prank, too. Are the kids supposed to use drugs while on or off the school sports teams? No. But they were in posession of it. Sometimes we learn hard lessons. Doing something wrong is STILL wrong even if its not as bad to you unless someone gets hurt.Too bad they got caught huh? Getting caught was the best thing to deter them from any subsequent events that they might not have otherwise given more serious thought. As a parent who cares for ALL Wheeler students and would be equally hard on my own children. I feel for the parents& the embarassment they all must feel. We never want our kids to get in trouble like this& affect their futures and reputations. So again, I say we pray for everyone involved.

First of all. It was a prank. Bored teenage stuff. I guarantee that if the were confronted by the man it would've ended with a slap on the wrist by there parents. Second of all I know the Dennings and they are extremely good parents. If you don't believe me then ask how their other two sons are doing in life. Point being parents can't control teenagers, they can only suggest and set a good example. It's up to the teen to decipher right from wrong. The ability to do that is was separates humans from animals. Lastly, Gale, I swear if you say one more thing about a school then I am going to lose it. Your entitled to your opinion but you should know how misguided and flawed it is. Walton is an excellent school academically, winning several academic awards in recent years, they are also one of the top athletic schools in the state winning several state titles and sending several athletes to play college sports at the highest level. Bad school? Not in the slightest...you will never EVER EVER escape drugs in highschools. EVER. So drop it.

Its obvious that not many people commenting actually know what they are talking about.
A "Works" bomb, while given the name, is hardly a bomb. There is hardly any shrapnel, and of the little bit, it is *almost* harmless. I say almost because a slight scratch is still harm.
It also sickens me that anyone considers this persecution even slightly just.

And beyond that, there should never be any variance between punishment based on race, age, religion,or gender. Other wise the justice system wouldn't be just.

Also, here is a note. Spice is a slang term for synthetic Marijuana. It is generally unscheduled. It just so happened that the Research chemical found in the brand of Spice that Evan Wallace possessed was banned 3 months before their trip to Carolina.

Also, Being someone who knows both of the juniors, i would say that they were just being immature and trying to have fun. They found that fun by getting into mischeif.