Maybe he was just trying to blow off some steam.
Maybe he thought it was a joke.
No one is laughing.
A Widener University student faces serious charges after posting a threat on one of his social media accounts.
In the wake of Columbine, Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook, there is nothing humorous about such threats. They are no longer considered a prank.
They are considered a crime.
That's a hard lesson learned by Luis Andres Vela, of Lodi, N.J. He now faces charges of making terroristic threats, simple assault, and harassment.
Police believe he posted the threats - which specifically mentioned the incidents at Virginia Tech and Columbine - about 10:30 a.m. Two students who saw the posts quickly alerted campus security. City and county authorities promptly conducted an Internet investigation that led them to Vela.
His timing could not have been worse. As it turns out, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan and county Detective Joe Ryan were on the Widener campus to speak to a class.
The investigation quickly zeroed in on Vela.
Case closed. Lesson learned. Making threats in a school environment is no longer considered a harmless prank, or in any way humorous.
Don't believe it? Ask Luis Vela.
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