Teen Charged in Internet Threat on N.Y. School
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PORTLAND, Ore. — An 18-year-old was arrested Monday and charged with making a threat against a high school in New York in an Internet instant message.
Benjamin Ballard was charged with transmitting a threat via interstate commerce, which carries a potential sentence of five years in prison, FBI spokeswoman Beth Anne Steele said.
Ballard allegedly made the threat to a New York student late Thursday while they were using America Online. He reportedly warned the student not to go to school Friday because “there’s going to be a lot of people dead tomorrow” at Edgemont High School in Greenburgh, N.Y.
The Edgemont student notified police and the FBI said it traced the message to Ballard’s home.
Ballard told the FBI the threat was only a joke, but the Greenburgh school district had canceled classes Friday for nearly 1,700 students.
Westchester County Dist. Atty. Jeanine Pirro said she decided to defer to federal authorities in the case, since their charge against Ballard is a felony and state charges would have been a misdemeanor. Ballard and his parents declined to talk to reporters Monday.
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