$1M bail for ex-Yale student who allegedly made online death threats against school kids
(CBS/AP) LOS ANGELES - Bail for a former Yale University student who authorities say made online death threats about killing children has been set at $1 million, an amount normally reserved for murder or other crimes that could result in life sentences.
Eric Yee, a 21-year-old who recently withdrew from the Ivy League university, posted on ESPN's website that he was watching children and wouldn't mind killing them, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said Tuesday.
Yee was taken into custody Monday at his parents' home, which is on a street that overlooks two schools in Santa Clarita, Calif. Several guns were found there.
Sheriff's Lt. Steve Low said Yee was arrested for investigation of making terrorist threats.
Experts said the bail amount was very high for a person suspected of making terrorist threats.
"To put it in perspective, $1 million is the presumptive bail for murder," said Hanni Fakhoury, an attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation and a former federal public defender who is not involved in the case. In comparison, the presumptive bail for making terrorist threats is $50,000 and it would take many specific circumstances to push it much higher, Fakhoury said.
Sheriff's Deputy Josh Dubin told the Los Angeles Times that the department had requested "a bail enhancement because of the totality of the situation," but would not elaborate.
Yee was arrested after the sports network ESPN reported threats were posted in a reader response section to an online story about new Nike sneakers named after LeBron James that cost $270 a pair. Some of the nearly 3,000 reader comments on the story talked about children possibly getting killed over the expensive sneakers, said ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys.
The post that led police to Yee referred to a shooting that would be like the one in Aurora, Colo., where 12 people were killed and 58 others were injured in July, authorities said.
"What he was posting had nothing to do with sports," Soltys said. "We closely monitor the message boards and anytime we get a threat, we're alerting law enforcement officials."
Authorities didn't disclose how serious the threat was, but they were looking to see if the suspect had made similar posts on the Internet. Low also said investigators were trying to determine if anybody else might be involved.
A Yale website listed him as a member of its class of 2012 and a participant in a leadership training program. Yale officials said he had been expected to graduate with a bachelor's degree in economics this past spring, but with drew in May for undisclosed reasons.
More on CrimesiderSeptember 18, 2012 - Calif. man arrested after allegedly posting online that he wouldn't mind murdering school kids