Charge dropped for West Virginia University student accused of making terroristic threats

By Dakin Andone, CNN

A charge against a West Virginia University student previously accused of making terroristic threats was dismissed without prejudice in 2021, according to court documents obtained by CNN.

The then-21-year-old freshman student was arrested in May 2019 after authorities said they learned he had threatened to carry out a “shooting spree,” university police said at the time.

Court documents signed by three judges in June 2021, as well as a letter from the student’s defense attorney, confirm the charge was ordered dismissed. The clerk of court for Monongalia County also confirmed to CNN over the phone that the case was dismissed.

In May 2019, Deputy Chief Phil Scott said police had received a tip that the student had spoken about carrying out a shooting at the school in Morgantown, West Virginia, and then killing themself. No weapons were found at his residence.

His arrest came a day after a shooting at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, which left two people dead and four wounded.

“Our number one concern is always the safety of the University community and this provides an example of the system working exactly the way it should,” Chief W.P. Chedester said in the statement at the time. “Someone saw something and said something. We investigated and found sufficient reason to take action, all within less than 24 hours.”

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CNN’s Tony Marco contributed to this report.