Parkland Suspects Brother Jailed On Probation Violation Charge

The younger brother of the accused Parkland, Florida, mass shooter has been jailed on charges he violated the terms of his probation.

Zachary Cruz, 18, who was on six months’ probation for trespassing at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in March, was booked into the Palm Beach County jail on Tuesday evening, jailhouse records show.

Cruz was wanted on a warrant alleging he was driving a car without a license on Saturday and was within close proximity to a high school in Lake Worth, Florida, the Sun Sentinel reported.  Both offenses violate the terms of his probation, which require him to stay away from schools where he’s not enrolled, according to the newspaper.

Cruz is listed as residing in Lantana, Florida, approximately five miles from Lake Worth.

Cruz was arrested on March 19 for trespassing at the Parkland high school where authorities say his brother, Nikolas Cruz , fatally shot 17 people on Feb. 14.

Cruz, who had been warned by school officials to stay away from the campus, told police he was there to “reflect on the school shooting and soak it in,” according to an arrest affidavit.

Prosecutors have said that they will seek the death penalty against Nikolas Cruz,  who has been charged with 17 counts of first-degree premeditated murder and 17 counts of first-degree attempted murder. 

CORRECTION: The headline in a previous version of this story mistakenly identified Cruz’s charge as a parole violation. It was a probation violation.