Felony charges for C-R 15-year-old with CO2

5/11/2016

By Jim Poole

A Cobleskill-Richmondville student faces a felony charge for making threats at the high school Friday morning, according to State Police
Troopers from Cobleskill arrested the 15-year-old boy after an investigation revealed he had two CO2 cartridges and "made statements threatening violence against others in the school," police said.
High School Principal Melissa Ausfeld said another student overheard the boy making threats and saw the cartridges as school was opening.
School officials isolated the 15-year-old and put the cartridges in a safe, Ms. Ausfeld said.
They also brought in other students to corroborate the first witness's report, she added.
"We realized then that we had to turn to the State Police," Superintendent Carl Mummenthey said.
Troopers charged the boy with first-degree falsely reporting an incident, a felony.
The student was removed from the high school and forwarded to Schoharie County Family Court.
"Things that were thought pranks years ago are now felonies," Mr. Mummenthey observed.
State Police and C-R officials believed the canisters, "as they were possessed, posed no significant immediate danger to any other students or staff," troopers said.
"But we still had to react the way we did," Ms. Ausfeld said.
The high school was not placed in lockdown or shelter-in-place, two precautionary measures.