Man Charged in Internet Threats of School Violence
An 18-year-old Maryland man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he sent Internet messages threatening to stage a repeat of a school shooting at Santana High School.
Patrick A. Smith of Walkersville, Md., was bound over for a preliminary hearing May 11 on two felony counts of making criminal threats.
Defense lawyer Stephen Cline said Smith suffers from attention deficit and bipolar disorders and was joking when he sent the messages to two 15-year-old girls in suburban Santee, where the school is located. One of the girls attended Santana High.
Two students were killed and 13 people were wounded when freshman Charles Andrew “Andy” Williams allegedly opened fire at the school on March 5.
According to prosecutors, one message said: “I’m finishing what Andy started and this time it’s going to work.”
If convicted, Smith could be sentenced to up to three years and eight months in prison.
Cline said Smith, who earns income by trading antiques on the Internet, has no criminal record and no history of violence.
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