BROOKINGS – A former South Dakota State University student who told fellow students he was going to “shoot up the school” has been sentenced to jail time, community service and four years of supervised probation.
Alexander Peterson, 19, pleaded no contest April 10 to one charge each of terrorist threat and simple assault. In exchange for the pleas, five other charges of simple assault were dismissed.
Peterson was arrested Feb. 28, after multiple Pierson Hall residents told residence hall directors that Peterson “had access to guns and said he was going to shoot up the school.”
An SDSU Police Department memorandum of arrest says the students reported Peterson making “multiple comments about shooting them and that Peterson created a Snap Chat group where he posted a meme about blowing up the school.”
Weapons were shown to the victims, and all the students interviewed by the UPD said they were afraid for their lives and believed Peterson had means to commit the crimes he threatened.
At sentencing in Brookings County Circuit Court Tuesday, Judge Greg Stoltenburg suspended a five-year prison term on the terrorist threat charge and instead sentenced Peterson to 75 days in jail, 40 hours of community service and four years of supervised probation. He gets credit for 69 days already served in jail.
An additional 30 days in jail were suspended for the simple assault conviction.
Peterson also has to pay court-appointed attorney fees and a total of $1,200 in fines and court costs. He must remain law abiding and cannot consume alcohol or drugs, must undergo a mental health evaluation and complete any recommended treatment, and cannot be in possession of any firearms or be where they are sold or used.
Defense attorney Nancy Nelson asked Stoltenburg to consider a suspended imposition of sentence, which seals a criminal conviction to the public as long as all probationary conditions of the sentence are met.
Nelson said Peterson would do well on probation and has no other criminal history as an adult. Peterson is making changes going forward and is very sorry for what happened and for the problems he caused others, Nelson said.
The attorney said Peterson, who wants to move to Flandreau, find work and eventually go back to school, has plans for his future and wants to be successful. He plans to get on track with mental health counseling. His family supports him, and Peterson realizes he needs to confide in them if he’s struggling in the future, Nelson added.
Stoltenburg chastised Peterson for his actions and his attitude earlier this year.
“Have you figured out this isn’t a joke? How can this be a joke?”
The judge added that “timing is everything. There was just a mass shooting in Florida before this happened. You scared a lot of people.”
Stoltenburg said that if he thought Peterson would actually commit a shooting, he would have ordered the maximum sentence: five years in prison for the terrorist threat conviction and one year in jail for simple assault.
But the judge wasn’t willing to grant Peterson a suspended imposition of sentence, either.
“Prove you are not that person behind the keyboard. Prove you are a good, solid young man with a bright future that people say you are.”
Contact Jill Fier at jfier@brookingsregister.com.
