Police arrested Ashley Prado, 33, Monday on charges of aiding in the commission of terrorism. She’s being held on $75,000 bond. Credit: Courtesy of Bexar County Sheriff's Office

A San Antonio mother is behind bars over allegations she helped her middle school-aged son gather supplies he planned to use for a mass shooting at a local public school, the Express-News reports, citing an arrest affidavit.

San Antonio police on Monday arrested Ashley Pardo, 33, on charges of aiding in the commission of terrorism. She’s being held on a $75,000 bond, court records show.

A Bexar County clerk informed the Current on Tuesday afternoon that Pardo’s arrest affidavit is now sealed and that she’s awaiting indictment.

Pardo’s arrest stems from authorities’ allegations that her son planned to carry out a mass shooting at Jeremiah Rhodes Middle School, according to the daily’s reporting.

“Please know we take all potential threats seriously and act immediately to protect everyone in our care,” school principal Felismina Martinez wrote in an email to parents. “We will always remain vigilant to ensure our learning and working environment is safe and secure.”

The call

Authorities said they became aware of the son’s alleged plans after his grandmother, whom the boy sometimes stayed with, called police, telling them she’d found a loaded rifle and pistol magazines in her home, according to the Express-News. The grandmother also found an improvised explosive device with white nationalist slogans written on it, the paper reports, citing the arrest affidavit.

Further, the boy told his grandmother he was “going to be famous” before Pardo picked him to drive him to school, the Express-News reports.

Police tried to locate the boy, who arrived at Rhodes Middle School on Monday with a mask, camouflage jacket and tactical pants, according to the court documents obtained by the daily. However, his immediate whereabouts were unknown.

While investigating, authorities found that the boy had amassed a supply of ammunition, according to documents cited by the daily.

After police detained the youth off-campus on a terrorism charge, he told investigators that his mother had bought him the tactical gear in exchange for babysitting his younger siblings, the Express-News reports.

Warning signs

It’s not the first time the boy and his mother have attracted the attention of authorities, according to the newspaper.

In January, school officials notified authorities after they found drawings created by Pardo’s son that included a map of the Rhodes campus labeled “suicide route” and the school’s name written out with a rifle and muzzle flashes above it, according to the affidavit cited by the Express-News. There were also specific times listed on the drawings, according to the report.

Two months later, Rhodes Middle School officials caught Pardo’s son researching New Zealand’s 2019 Christchurch mosque shooting on a school-issued computer, the article states. A total of 51 people were killed and 89 injured in that mass shooting.

School officials suspended Prado’s son for that incident, which led to the boy attempting self-harm, requiring more than 100 stitches, according to the arrest affidavit cited by the daily.

Pardo’s son returned to Rhode Middle School on May 7 following a stint in an alternative school. The boy’s actions were so concerning to school officials that they updated their security plan in preparation for his return, the Express-News reports.

“[Pardo’s] refusal to see [her son’s] concerning behavior and her assistance in gathering items for him that have been found to have been used in other acts of mass targeted violence, it is believed she is facilitating [her son’s] desire to carry out his threats,” investigators wrote in the affidavit cited by the news outlet.

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This article appears in May 14-27, 2025.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...