Former students sentenced for hoax

Bree Purdy
December 15, 2009
Filed under News

Former Corona students, Laurin Godson and Lauren Tamburrelli, both 19, were charged with multiple felonies on Dec. 11 at Mesa’s Maricopa County Superior Court.

In March, the two seniors called in a bomb threat, which resulted in the school being shut down for a day as police investigated the threat and searched the campus. Godson and Tamburrelli fabricated the plot because Godson had a court date but only had one remaining unexcused absence, which she intended to use for “senior ditch day.”A handwritten note had been brought to the attention of the administration with expletive-laced threats stating that “large parts of the school will be destroyed” on the following day.

Later that day, Godson called the main office claiming that she was being held against her will and being forced to call in the threat.

School was cancelled the following day in order for police to search the school for any potential threats.

On March 26, six days after the threat was made, Godson was arrested at school and Tamburrelli at her home after students had come forward with crucial pieces of evidence that connected the two girls to the hoax.

In November, Godson and Tamburrelli were offered a plea agreement. Godson accepted the offer and pleaded guilty to false reporting and interference with an educational institution. Tamburrelli declined the plea agreement in favor of a trial by jury.

At trial, Tamburrelli was convicted of a hoax charge, which is a class 4 felony, interference with an educational institution and false reporting to police.

At sentencing both Godson and Tamburrelli received 250 hours of community service and are required to pay $19,000 of restitution to the school and police department in order to pay for the monetary loss of closing the school and the investigation and search that took place.

Godson and Tamburrelli also received two years of unsupervised probation. After one year of probation, they will meet with a judge to review their case. If a violation is made, Godson can be sentenced to 1.3 years of prison and Tamburrelli to 3.7 years.

Principal Susan Edwards attended the Friday trial.

“Overall, I thought their trial and punishment was fair,” Edwards said. “The restitution is large enough and they will serve a good amount of community service. With the felonies they received, the girls are paying for their mistakes.”