A 14-year-old Henderson boy who made references to the Columbine High School shootings in an e-mail pleaded guilty Wednesday in juvenile court to making threats to a pupil.

The misdemeanor charge was welcomed by the boy's family and lawyer, because prosecutors had considered charging the boy with making terrorist threats.

The boy's lawyer, Cynthia Dustin, had been critical of prosecutors for considering the serious charge.

"In this case, you have no weapon. You have nothing," she said. "You have words and a Web space. Does that make him a terrorist?"

Henderson police arrested the boy in August after learning of an e-mail he sent to another teen. The message did not identify a specific target but included several references to the Columbine shootings, police said.

Henderson police spokesman Todd Rasmussen said the boy had surveillance footage of the 1999 Colorado shootings on his home computer. Similar footage is easily found on the Internet.

The boy also titled his MySpace.com Web page "R.I.P. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold," naming the two teens whose shooting spree killed 12 students and a teacher.

Rasmussen said the suspect sent a message from his MySpace.com account that stated, "Would you be down for some Columbine-like (expletive)?"

The second teen's mother discovered the message and called police, who searched the boy's home and found no weapons.

Dustin said authorities blew his comments out of proportion.

"It was, for lack of a better word, a joke," she said. "And it was puffing."

Dustin also said her client had a First Amendment right to make the statements he made.

"Underneath our Constitution, you can say whatever you want, even if it's inflammatory, even if it's upsetting," the lawyer said.

At Wednesday's hearing before District Judge William Voy, the teen admitted to the charge.

"I just want you to understand how serious this kind of thing is," Voy said.

"Yes, sir. I understand," the boy said. "This will never happen again."

The boy, who recently turned 14, spoke softly. His mop-top hair fell over his neck and into his face, partially obscuring his bespectacled eyes. His hair was dyed black, but streaks of his naturally reddish brown hair poked through.

Two psychological evaluations found the boy did not intend to carry out any threat and was not a danger to himself or the community. He has been on house arrest since early last month, wearing a global-positioning system ankle bracelet so authorities can monitor his movements.

The boy's mother removed all Internet access from her house, and Voy ordered that the boy be supervised 24 hours a day.

He will be sentenced Oct. 17.

Dustin said the boy probably will get probation, although Voy could sentence him to time at a youth detention facility.

"I can't see him throwing the kid away," she said.

The boy's mother said his behavior problems began about two years ago when she and her husband initiated divorce proceedings after 26 years of marriage.

Her son has no history of violence, although police have said he has been suspended from school in the past for incidents that included fighting and threatening other students, she said.

Her son finished the summer session at a school for students with behavioral problems before his arrest and had earned the right to return to a regular school, which she wouldn't identify. She said he has not returned to school since his arrest.

The woman, who previously worked as a housekeeper, said she quit her job to provide constant supervision. She hopes he can return to school soon.

"I'm glad it's taken care of," the mother said. "Now he can get back to school, and he can be a normal kid."