Maryland teen sentenced to one year in prison for writing about school shootings
A Maryland teenager was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison, with all but one year suspended, for threatening mass violence and writing a detailed account of a character planning a school shooting.
19-year-old Alex Ye will serve at least one year behind bars, followed by five years of supervised probation, according to the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office. The defendant was a high school student when arrested last year.
A judge found the teen guilty in January on one count of threatening to commit mass violence following a two-day bench trial.
Police discover 129-page document, online searches, drawings
The investigation began after someone who met the teen in a psychiatric facility contacted Baltimore-area police about the writings.
Ye had written a 129-page document that included an account of a character who plans a school shooting but is ultimately arrested and receives psychiatric treatment, according to police. The teen called the writings a memoir, though the document opened with a disclaimer calling it fiction.
Investigators believed the document was based on the teen's life rather than being entirely fictional, according to court records.
Police obtained a search warrant and uncovered internet searches, drawings and documents related to threats of mass violence.
Recent searches included queries about gun ranges, prison sentences, and a long list of past school shootings, according to court documents. Social media messages and posts by the teen referenced a desire to become famous by committing a school shooting, police wrote in charging documents.
Court mandates mental health treatment
During the probation period, the teen must report to court every two weeks and receive mental health treatment.
Ye is also prohibited from entering two school campuses and banned from using the chatting app Discord.
Montgomery County Public Schools officials said the student was completing schoolwork through a virtual learning program and had not physically attended a school since fall 2022.
Court records show the teen was hospitalized in December 2022 after threatening to "shoot up a school." The following month, clinicians reported the teen was talking about "suicide by cop."
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