A 23-year-old Michigan woman is facing terrorism charges after making terror threats on the campus of the Michigan State University. Although no violent crimes have been committed, the prosecutor and the judge regarded the threats as extreme. They believe the student has a history of threatening people with violence.
The campus police reported that the former MSU student made a bomb threat in a 911 call in April. The same threat to blow the university up was allegedly scrawled on the wall of a bathroom stall on the campus. According to police, similar threats were written on a wall of the university in the last week of November.
The accused woman's defense counsel argued for her bond to be lowered and for her to be released from jail with electronic monitoring. Her family testified that she did not have the means to carry out the violent threats. It was further argued that she was not a flight risk as all her loved ones were right there in the community. However, the judge refused to give in, and the young woman will be back in court later this month.
Michigan residents who are charged with violent crimes even if they only made idle threats may not have anticipated the consequences. While this student's legal counsel is fighting for her rights, others in similar circumstances may also want to retain the services of an experienced criminal law attorney who can fight to protect their rights. A lawyer can launch an independent investigation and challenge the evidence presented by the prosecution. In the event of a conviction, an attorney may limit the harshness of the sentence by the successful presentation of mitigating circumstances.
Source: wivb.com, "Student charged with terrorist threats appears terrified in court", Dec. 4, 2015