PHOENIX— Christopher Rivera (D.O.B. 09-27-1999) was sentenced today to two years of probation after pleading guilty to one felony count of Interfering with or Disruption of an Educational Institution. This is in connection to a threatening social media message about the possibility of a school shooting.
“This Office promised our community we would hold those responsible for school threats fully accountable for their actions,” said Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. “Today's sentencing shows that any threat made to the lives of students and the fear such a threat evokes in children, school personnel and parents will never be seen as a joke.”
On August 9, 2017 the defendant posted a photo of a handgun on social media with the caption, “Don’t come to school tomorrow.” He posted the photo on a page specifically for McClintock High School students ensuring multiple students viewed the post. One of the students alerted the school who then notified police about the posting.
Rivera told investigators he meant to send the post to only a few people and he deleted the post after being told by friends it was not being taken a joke. He also admitted that the gun in the picture was a BB gun and did not even belong to him.