Pontiac- Jacob Michael Young will serve 3 years probation and 90 days in jail as punishment for threatening a school shooting in Brandon.
Young was sentenced April 1 by Oakland County Sixth Circuit Court Judge Wendy Potts. He will receive credit for 3 days of time served, and will pay $6,700 in restitution, as well as additional court fines. Terms of his probation include no entry to Brandon High School, no cell phone use, no use of social media, no assaultive or threatening behavior, continued mental health treatment, and completion of his high school education or a GED. Under the Holmes Youthful Training Act, if Young, 17, stays out of trouble and successfully completes probation, he will not have a criminal record.
‘This was far better than we could have hoped for,? said David Young, Jacob’s father, wiping away tears outside the courtroom following the sentence. ‘I would like to thank the Brandon community for their support… The Oakland County officers treated my son well throughout the process… We knew Jacob would get time, but we are glad she (Potts) is giving him a chance and for him to be able to continue with his education. The sentence was more than fair and it says a lot about the overall system and how it works.?
Young pleaded guilty to a false report of terrorism and using a computer to commit a crime in January, stemming from actions he took around 10:30 p.m. Dec. 8, when he anonymously posted several threats to ‘After School,? a now-defunct social media app.
Two of the messages, also seen on Facebook after the threats went viral, read, ‘Im warning all of you Im gonning (sic) to shoot up the school so if you know what good for you stay home? and ‘Tomorrow Im gonna shoot and kill every last one of you and its going to be bigger than Columbine just wait.?
The messages were accompanied by what is believed to be stock internet photos of an individual wearing a shirt with the words ‘Natural selection? and holding a long gun, as well of another person in a trench coat in a school hallway.
OCSO dispatched 12 patrol units to the district on Dec. 9, with at least four deputies at each of the secondary schools? at the high school, the middle school, and at the alternative high school, housed in the former Belle Ann Elementary. Teachers arrived early to help and only a single entrance was open to each building, with students lined up outside. Students were searched prior to admittance.
Attendance plummeted throughout the school day as word spread. Districtwide, attendance was 72 percent on Dec. 9, below the 75 percent required by the state of Michigan to count as an official day, and far below the typical 95 percent. At the high school, by the end of the school day, more than half of the students were absent.
Police subpoenaed records from Ambient, developer of the app, and arrested Young at his Brandon Township home on Dec. 10. The high school senior had no previous contact with law enforcement or any disciplinary measures taken against him at school.
On Wednesday, his attorney, Deanna Kelley, noted he had received numerous letters of support, including from a teacher, and many students had signed petitions in support of Jacob Young and also in a successful lobbying effort to have the app removed from stores. In his defense, Young had said he made the threats in order to bring attention to the app, which he believed allowed students to bully others anonymously.
‘This terrible, awful, maniacal app was taken down solely because of what Jacob Young did,? said Kelley, who prefaced her remarks by calling Young exceedingly intelligent, with a high level of social justice and soft spot in his heart for the underprivileged. ‘He is a 17-year-old student who never foresaw that this would happen. He is an exceedingly good person who did a very stupid thing.?
Prior to his sentencing, Young read a statement, beginning with apologies to his father, siblings, and various other family members and friends.
‘I knew how terribly wrong I was after I posted the threats,? said Young. ‘I should have turned myself in… If there was any moment I could take back in my life, it would be that moment (of posting the threats). I hurt and wronged them.?
Potts said she had spent a lot of time reviewing the case and was faced with a difficult decision.
‘Are you a threat to the public?? she mused. ‘You’re 17 and made a disturbing choice to post violent threats. This offense occurred while you were a student at Brandon High School in the twelfth grade. I’ve crafted a sentence to protect the public.?
David Young was grateful for the 3 years of probation and small jail sentence.
‘Jacob didn’t want to hurt anybody or his fellow students,? he said.