Student charged: Stetson University freshman Griffin Powell, 18, has been arrested and charged with threatening to ‘bomb’ and ‘gas’ the Florida campus
A Florida college student has been arrested for allegedly making threats on Snapchat to ‘bomb’ and ‘gas’ the Stetson University campus.
Griffin Powell, 18, was taken into custody on Sunday night in connection to the threats targeting his school. He was later released from jail after posting $20,000 bail.
DeLand police Chief Jason Umberger told news outlets that the threats were ‘specific and they were concerning to us.’
He added during a press conference on Monday, ‘There were some references made to bombs and gas.’
University President Wendy B. Libby sent a message to faculty, students and staff on Monday regarding the incident, revealing that it was Powell’s friends who raised the alarm about the threats on social media.
‘I know you have heard this phrase until it seems trite, but “if you see something, say something” is exactly what this student’s friends did,’ Libby said in her statement. ‘Out of concern for their friend and for the Stetson community, they took information to Public Safety and because of that they may have helped their friend and helped the Stetson community.’
Powell is charged with threatening to discharge a destructive device. An arrest report says he was arrested at his home in Clay County at 8pm on Sunday.
Police say no one was in danger at Stetson University (pictured), and that Powell’s threats made on Snapchat were not directed at anyone specific
News4Jax reported that a search of Powell’s residence yielded no explosive devices or materials, according to police.
Umberger emphasized that nobody was in danger at the university, and that the Snapchat threats were not directed at specific individuals.
As he was being booked in the Clay County Jail, the 18-year-old reportedly talked about taking his own life and was placed on a suicide watch, reported the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
University spokeswoman Janie Graziani says Powell is a freshman, and that he has now been suspended and banned from the Stetson campus.
Stetson has a total undergraduate enrollment of just under 3,100 students and its tuition and fees amount to $45,000 a year.