What a teenager claims started out as just a joke, landed him with criminal charges in Fort Collins. Apparently, the police, along with the staff and students at Front Range Community College, didn’t see the humor in his joke. According to the news report, the 19 year old Front Range student had created a Snapchat video where he pointed the “cross hairs of a firearm scope” at a professor and another student. He captioned the video “When you straight up Columbing it,” which is seemingly a reference to the Columbine High School shootings that occurred in 1999. A student saw the video and contacted the college’s security office, which immediately began the procedures for evacuating the campus. The video creator was identified and arrested for Interference with Educational Institution.
What is Interference with an Educational Institution in Larimer County?
Colorado law defines Interference with Staff, Faculty, or Students of Educational Institutions – C.R.S. 18-9-109 – as:
(I) A person the actor knows or believes to be a student, school official, or employee of an educational institution; or
(II) An invitee who is on the premises of an educational institution.
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Because the teen pointed what appeared to be a part of a deadly weapon at another student and an employee, police arrested him for this crime. The video he created of his joke caused the school to believe there was a credible threat of serious bodily injury or death to a student or employee. This is another example of hysteria prone government workers. We doubt a jury of normal people, not looking for drama, would find this a credible threat. For this crime, ‘credible threat’ means:
As a class 1 misdemeanor in Larimer, Boulder, and Grand County, Interference with an Educational Institution is punishable by 6 to 18 months in the Larimer County Jail and up to $5,000 in fines.