NEW MEXICO — A 19-year-old man made his first court appearance Tuesday after he threatened to “shoot [his] college campus up in three days” and identified his school as “NMSU” while “chatting” on an Internet chat website, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Zachary Milton Hess , of Las Cruces, made his initial appearance in Las Cruces federal court.
He is charged with using the Internet to make a threat or to maliciously convey false information. Hess remains in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for August 28, officials said.
The criminal complaint alleges that on May 27, 2014, an individual anonymously threatened on Facebook to shoot people at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.
The FBI’s investigation indicated that the IP Address for the Internet connection from which the threat was posted was subscribed to Hess’ residence. An examination of Hess’s computer revealed that the computer allegedly had been used to visit the website on which the threat was posted, officials said.
The criminal complaint alleges that NMSU officials had to tell about 18,774 students, facility, staff and private citizens about the anonymous threat; advised students, faculty and staff to depart the campus; and shut down its new student registration process. NMSU allegedly lost approximately 1000 staff hours in responding to the threat, the complaint alleges.
Hess is facing up to 10 years in prison. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty.