A year after San Antonio police hauled Ashley Pardo into jail on accusations she helped her 13-year-old son plan a mass attack at Rhodes Middle School, the Bexar County District Attorney's Office still has not filed formal charges. Pardo remains on partial house arrest after posting bond, and court records show the case is stalled at the “awaiting charging decision” stage. That standstill has left her and her attorneys in legal limbo while the city wrestles with whether to deploy a recently minted state terrorism law.
Arrest, New Charge and a Test of Texas Law
San Antonio police say they arrested Pardo on May 12, 2025, accusing her of "aiding in the commission of terrorism," a state-jail felony added to the Texas Penal Code in 2023. In a San Antonio Police Department news release, investigators alleged she bought ammunition, magazines and tactical gear that later turned up in her son’s possession before the case was shipped to prosecutors. The statute, Texas Penal Code Sec. 76.03, defines the offense as providing “material support or resources” for terrorism and ties punishment to the severity of the underlying act.
Inside the Affidavit: Gear, Symbols and Online Searches
According to investigators and court records, police recovered loaded magazines, a tactical vest and helmet, and a mortar-style firework wrapped in duct tape bearing the words "For Brenton Tarrant" alongside white-supremacist symbols, based on reporting that drew from the affidavit. Officials said the boy had drawn a map of Rhodes labeled "suicide route" and had used a school-issued device to research previous mass shooters. The investigation kicked off after the family called authorities upon finding a live rifle round the teen had been striking with a hammer, a discovery that quickly escalated into public briefings.
DA’s Slow Walk and Defense Frustration
Court records and reporting by the San Antonio Express-News show the Bexar County DA's office told the paper the matter is still “awaiting a charging decision.” "The fact that the DA has not indicted her in a year speaks volumes about their case," defense attorney Joseph Appelt told the Express-News. Fellow defense lawyer Meredith Chacon described clients on house arrest during prolonged reviews as stuck "in limbo" while prosecutors decide whether to pull the trigger on charges.
Teen’s Plea Deal and School’s Future
The 13-year-old later pleaded true to one count of arson and received two years' probation at a residential treatment facility, with a prohibited-weapons charge dropped as part of the agreement, according to local court reporting. Separately, the San Antonio Independent School District voted in March to close Rhodes Middle School at the end of the 2025-26 school year, saying longstanding academic and enrollment problems drove the decision, even as the terrorism investigation pushed the campus into an uncomfortable spotlight. Local outlets have also tracked the juvenile case and a separate child-endangerment allegation that led to Pardo’s later arrest on other charges.
High Stakes, New Statute and a Long Wait
Court coverage of the case has noted that defense lawyers in Texas can seek dismissal in pre-indictment situations when prosecutors take too long to make charging decisions for defendants who are out on bond, a remedy that exists mostly at the discretion of judges and is not always straightforward. Prosecutors, meanwhile, have to decide whether an aiding charge under the 2023 terrorism provisions, which pegs the level of the crime to the seriousness of the alleged terror act, fits this case before they present anything to a grand jury. For now the Bexar County DA's office says only that it is still reviewing the matter and cannot offer the public any further details.
