Crime & Safety

Kent State Suspends Student Over Twitter Threat

William Koberna is accused of threatening to open fire on the university campus

The student who on the Kent State University campus has been suspended.

William Koberna, 19, of Brunswick, was placed on interim suspension by university officials Tuesday.

spokesperson Eric Mansfield said in an email that the interim suspension is "pending due process of criminal charges."

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Kent State Police charged Koberna Monday with inducing panic, a fifth-degree felony, and aggravated menacing, a first-degree misdemeanor, after Koberna reportedly posted a message on Twitter in which he threatened to use a fire arm on campus.

He was arrested on the charges and released on a $4,900 bond Monday. A preliminary hearing on the charges is set for Friday morning in the .

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As part of his bond, Koberna was barred from setting foot on campus.

The conditions of his bond release also included that he wear a GPS monitoring bracelet; he is labeled as "persona non grata at KSU campus;" and that he have no contact with the alleged victim, Kent State President Lester Lefton, according to court records.

Mansfield said previously that university officials are interpreting the court's "persona non grata at KSU campus" as meaning all eight university campuses located across Northeast Ohio.

The tweet, posted this month, reportedly included profanity directed at Kent State President Lester Lefton and also stated "I'm shooting up your school ASAP," according to Ohio.com.

A sophomore, Koberna was attending classes at the Kent campus.


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