Former Oregon State University, Christopher Strahan was arrested on charges for posting violent threats to carry out a shooting at the school. He made the same threat last year and received jail time and probation.
According to Patch.com, Oregon State Police arrested Christopher Strahan, after they were able to connect him to a Twitter account that tweeted out violent threats against the school. He is being accused of first-degree disorderly conduct. In 2017, he was found guilty of second-degree disorderly conduct for sending out a shooting threat.
He served 20 days in jail and received three years of probation.
Our public safety officials are aware of recent concerning tweets and are investigating. As always, we encourage students and the Oregon State community to report any safety concerns to OSU Public Safety at 541-737-7000.
— Oregon State University (@OregonState) February 27, 2018
Strahan said he was training to shoot up Oregon State University by playing the popular video game Grand Theft Auto. Dozens of Twitter users responded to his tweets, many who tagged both OSU and Corvallis police.
Christopher Strahan appeared in court
Oregon Live reported that Strahan pleaded not guilty to charges of first and second-degree disorderly conduct.
He is currently in the Benton County Jail and was given a $100,000 bail by Circuit Court Judge David Connell. The judge also ordered Strahan to not set foot on the Oregon State campus and avoid students, employees, weapons, alcohol and social media, if he posts bail. Strahan was previously a student at Oregon State University but hasn't been affiliated with the university since last March.
Oregon State Police Kyle Hove told the public that there is no further threat to the school. OSU Vice President Steven Clark said they sent out a social media post and updated students and faculty as law enforcement continued their work.
State government looking to change laws regarding threats against schools
Strahan's threat comes a day after Oregon State Senator Tim Knopp introduced legislation that could make threats against schools a felony and not just a misdemeanor in Oregon.
The legislation comes as states continue to debate on how to prevent shootings like the one that just occurred in Parkland, Florida. The legislation is being supported by those in the law enforcement community.
Last year police searched Strahan's apartment but did not recover any weapons. However, Strahan said he attempted to purchase a Glock 30 MOS, a month before making his threats. Strahan told law enforcement that he was denied the purchase because of a pending court case that was related to a domestic violence incident. Strahan admitted that he was learning a lot about the UCSB shooter Elliot Rodger who killed six people in 2014.
