Former Geneva High School student charged in foiled shooting plot in Canada

GENEVA – A Geneva woman charged in a foiled Valentine's Day shooting plot is expected to appear in a Canadian courtroom this morning.

Lindsay Kantha Souvannarath, 23, and Randall Steven Shepherd, 20, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, each face a charge of conspiracy to commit murder, according to a news release issued Saturday by Canadian police.

They are expected in Halifax Provincial Court today.

Investigators with the Geneva Police Department, which on Friday executed a search warrant locally for Canadian authorities, were planning to reach out to those authorities today to see whether they need further assistance, Geneva Police Cmdr. Julie Nash said Monday.

Although Souvannarath is from Geneva, Geneva police have said there is no threat here.

“It does seem to be an incident isolated to Canada,” Geneva Police Cmdr. Eric Passarelli said Saturday. “[There is] no threat to this area at all.”

Michael Sunderman, who was in Geneva High School’s Class of 2010 with Souvannarath, described his former classmate as a lonely person who would talk about Nazis and Adolf Hitler but would become uncomfortable and change topics when confronted about her beliefs.

“She had a macabre and dark sense of humor to her, but at the time it never seemed violent,” Sunderman said.

Sunderman said Souvannarath came to mind even before authorities released the identifies of those connected to the foiled shooting at a Canadian shopping center.

“Of anyone I know, it sounds like her,” he said, noting his contact with her was limited to social media after high school. “[I am] so thankful the authorities caught her.”

There were no updates about the case Monday, said Sgt. Alain LeBlanc, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police provincial media relations officer.

Police in Canada release “very little” information to the media during ongoing investigations as to not jeopardize the case, he said.

In Saturday’s news release, Canadian authorities reported a third individual, a 17-year-old male from Cole Harbour, had been released without charge. Police described him as a person of interest but reported there was no evidence to link him to charges.

A fourth person, a 19-year-old man, was found dead at a Timberlea residence, where authorities seized three long-barrel rifles, Canadian police said at a news conference Saturday.

When asked whether that man committed suicide, LeBlanc said in an email that “he was found deceased inside the home.”

Timberlea is a community within the province of Nova Scotia.

Canadian authorities described the individuals as friends who decided to plan and commit a “heinous” crime for reasons not immediately known. Police were not defining them as a terrorist group because their plans didn’t have ethnic or political considerations, they said.

A Crime Stoppers tip that originated in Canada suggested the 19-year-old and Souvannarath had access to firearms, and they intended to go to a public venue Saturday with the goal of opening fire to kill citizens before killing themselves, police reported.

Evidence reportedly shows Shepherd also was involved.

“This is an excellent example that demonstrates the value of the Crime Stoppers program,” Nova Scotia Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commanding Officer Brian Brennan said in a statement.

“The information came to us in a timely manner and allowed us to act quickly. We often ask citizens to be our eyes and ears in their communities, and it was through one tip that we were able to intercept and eliminate a significant threat, and ultimately save lives.”

Canadian police said at the news conference that Halifax Shopping Centre was the target. They declined to provide specifics about the firearms.

At the request of the Halifax Regional Police, Geneva police executed a search warrant at Souvannarath’s residence Friday evening, Passarelli said.

Passarelli said items were taken from the Geneva home, but – at the request of the Canadian authorities – he would not specify what was seized. It is an ongoing investigation, he added.

Nash confirmed Monday that the residence was in the 3300 block of Husking Peg Lane in Geneva.

Passarelli said Souvannarath and her family, who have been “extremely cooperative,” were unknown to local police.

“We’ve had no contact with her, whatsoever,” Passarelli said.

According to Geneva High School yearbooks, Souvannarath was involved in the fall play, “The Rimers of Eldritch,” her junior year, and in the RPG Club throughout high school. RPG stands for roll-playing game.

Souvannarath continued her education at Coe College in Iowa. Rod Pritchard, director of marketing and public relations, wrote in an email that she enrolled in the 2010 fall term and graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She double majored in English and creative writing, he wrote.

According to public records, Souvannarath’s family bought the house on Husking Peg Lane in the Fisher Farms neighborhood in August 2006.

A member of the Schooley family in Geneva on Sunday confirmed that he was a neighbor of the Souvannaraths and that members of his family were interviewed by other media outlets on Saturday. He declined to give his first name but said news of the plot in Canada was surprising and shocking.

The Schooleys said they would see Souvannarath at neighborhood events, and she seemed like a normal teenage girl that went through different phases and interests.

Canadian authorities said it is too early to know whether Souvannarath will be extradited to the United States. They said she was entering Canada upon her arrest.

“RCMP and HRP have laid charges in this incident and have eliminated the threat,” Chief Jean-Michel Blais of Halifax Regional Police said in a statement. “This is a reminder that this type of incident can happen anywhere.”

• Shaw Media reporter Charles Menchaca contributed to this report.