Colorado man who threatened college faces federal gun charges
By Daniel Wallis
DENVER (Reuters) - A Colorado man who threatened to shoot people at a community college before burning it down has been indicted on federal weapons charges after he was found to own an assault rifle, handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, prosecutors said on Thursday.
David Aaron Moscow, 30, was a student at Front Range Community College in Fort Collins until 2012 when he left voluntarily, according to federal court documents.
He later made inappropriate calls to college employees and posted "questionable information" online about the school, the office of U.S. Attorney John Walsh said in a statement.
Last month, Moscow tried to re-enroll at Front Range and was questioned about his prior conduct, authorities said.
"After the meeting at the community college Moscow met with several clinical neuropsychologists, telling one of them he had desires to shoot people at the school and burn it down," Walsh's statement said. "This prompted a neuropsychologist to contact law enforcement."
The neuropsychologist put a mental health hold on Moscow and he was taken into custody for his own safety on Oct. 23.
Searching his residence, Fort Collins police found a loaded AR-15 assault rifle, a Glock .40 caliber handgun, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and the controlled substances hydrocodone and Ecstasy, prosecutors said.
Moscow, who has a 2007 felony conviction in Arizona for aggravated DUI, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on Monday on two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, Walsh's office said in its statement.
He also faces multiple state charges including felony menacing, violation of bail bond conditions, making a threat to a school, and possession of a controlled substance.
Moscow entered a not guilty plea, prosecutors said, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Watanabe ordered that he be held without bond.
If convicted of being a felon in possession, Moscow faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 for each of the two counts, prosecutors said.
(Additional reporting by Keith Coffman; Editing by Leslie Adler)
