Arrest Made in Alleged Social Media Threat to University of Southern Mississippi
Thu, 10/02/2014 - 09:19am | By: Van Arnold
University of Southern Mississippi Police have arrested Velton Williams, of Hattiesburg, in connection with an alleged threat to the Hattiesburg campus posted last week on the social media application Yik Yak.
Williams, 20, has been charged with posting a computer threat to cause injury, a felony offense. He is currently being held in the Forrest County Jail. A student at Southern Miss, Williams has been placed on interim suspension indefinitely by the University.
“With the cooperation of Yik Yak and other investigative processes, we were able to pinpoint the identity of the poster and bring a resolution to this case,” said University Police Chief Bob Hopkins. “I hope that this will serve as a reminder to anyone who posts comments on social media that nothing is anonymous.”
Williams is accused of authoring a post on Yik Yak last Thursday (Sept. 25) indicating a “USM purge” would take place.
His arrest is the second in connection with social media threats made toward the University. Last week University Police arrested another individual who is accused of posting a threat to the Hattiesburg campus on Yik Yak last Monday (Sept. 22). He too has been charged with posting a computer threat to cause injury.
As always, University Police asks the University community to remain vigilant and
aware of your surroundings and report any suspicious activity that might appear out
of the ordinary to UPD at 601.266.4986.