Missouri man, charged with threatening blacks, released on bond

By Ben Klayman

(Reuters) - A white 19-year-old Missouri man charged with making terrorist threats to shoot black people on the campus of a state university in Missouri was released on bond on Tuesday after a brief court appearance, his attorney said.

Connor Stottlemyre, one of three Missouri men arrested last week on charges of making threats on social media about shooting people on college campuses, had his bond set at $10,000 in Nodaway County court and his next appearance was scheduled for Dec. 22, his attorney, Robert Sundell, said.

Stottlemyre posted bond and was released, Sundell said.

Stottlemyre was arrested last week by campus police at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, where he is a student, for threatening violence on that campus.

Nodaway County Prosecuting Attorney Robert Rice said Stottlemyre was ordered by the court not to set foot on any campus of Northwest Missouri State or enter Nodaway County except for court appearances or to meet with his lawyer. Stottlemyre also must wear a GPS device that tracks his whereabouts, Rice said.

Sundell declined to make any statements on behalf of Stottlemyre, who was charged with one felony and one misdemeanor for allegedly making threats against black people using the social media messaging app Yik Yak. If convicted on the felony charge, he could face up to four years in prison.

According to a criminal complaint, Stottlemyre posted a threat last Wednesday saying: "I'm gonna shoot any black ppl tomorrow so be ready," and "I love evil, I can't wait for Northwest to make the news tomorrow."

Stottlemyre is from Blue Springs, Missouri, court documents said. Stottlemyre was arrested days after the president of the University of Missouri resigned amid protests over his handling of reports of racial abuse on campus.

The University of Missouri turmoil raised tensions on U.S. college campuses, where students have protested what they see as school officials' lenient approach toward racial abuse.

Another 19-year-old Missouri man, Hunter Park, also was charged last week with making terrorist threats after saying on Yik Yak he would shoot black people on the Columbia campus.

Park, a student at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, has a court hearing in Columbia on Wednesday.

In Michigan, the Houghton County Prosecutor's Office said Matthew Allen Shultz, charged with threatening black students on the campus of Michigan Technological University, could face more serious charges than disturbing the peace if an investigation turns up more evidence.

(Reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit; Editing by Will Dunham)