Brother of suspected Parkland shooter held for violating probation: media

[May 02, 2018]  (Reuters) - The brother of suspected high school shooter Nikolas Cruz was being held in a Florida jail on Wednesday after he was arrested and accused of violating the terms of his probation, local media reported.

Zachary Cruz, 18, was taken into custody on Tuesday evening on an arrest warrant that said he drove a Kia SUV on April 28 without a driver's license and went within 25 feet of a high school in Lake Worth, Florida, the Sun Sentinel newspaper reported.

Cruz was originally arrested on March 19 after he visited Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, even though school officials had told him to stay away.

Authorities say his brother Nikolas Cruz fatally shot 17 people in a massacre at the school in February.

Zachary Cruz pleaded no contest and was sentenced on March 29 to six months of probation and Broward County Judge Melinda Brown ordered him to keep at least a mile (1.6 km) from the high school and any schools where he was not enrolled, the Sun Sentinel newspaper reported.

Nikolas Cruz's brother Zachary Cruz sits in court before the beginning of a hearing to decide who will represent Nikolas in Broward Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S., April 11, 2018. Taimy Alvarez/Pool via REUTERS

Nikolas Cruz is charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder and faces the death penalty if convicted.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; editing by David Stamp)

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