Arrest Made in SUNY Canton Social Media Threat

CANTON, NY (10/25/2014)(readMedia)-- The individual who posted the threat against SUNY Canton's campus via the anonymous social media site, Yik Yak, has been apprehended.

The suspect, Alexis Vazquez, has been arraigned by The Honorable Gary L. Favro, U.S. Magistrate Judge, on federal charges in Plattsburgh. He is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshall Service pending a bond hearing, scheduled for Tuesday. He was charged under 18 U.S. Code Section 875 (c), a law that prohibits the transmission of any communication containing a threat to injure any person or persons. He could face up to five years in federal prison.

Vazquez is a SUNY Canton sophomore from Brooklyn, majoring in Mechanical Technology.

Special Agents from Homeland Security Investigations, Massena, are heading up the investigation in cooperation with the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, along with SUNY Canton University Police. Personnel at Yik Yak were fully cooperative and provided crucial information that led to Vazquez's arrest.

"Words cannot express the gratitude we have for the Investigators from Homeland Security and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation," said SUNY Canton President Zvi Szafran. "Along with our exceptional University Police officers, all law enforcement agencies involved acted with professionalism and utmost cooperation."

Szafran also commended the SUNY Canton Community for their patience and resiliency during and after the campus lockdown on Thursday.

"The skills, talents, and determination of the Investigators from Homeland Security and the New York State Police are unparalleled," said Chief of University Police John Kaplan. "All law enforcement agencies involved came together exceptionally well and operated seamlessly."

The investigation into the Yik Yak threats is ongoing. University Police advises anyone with any involvement or information about these threats that it is in their best interest to come forward. University Police can be contacted at 386-7777 or police@canton.edu.

-www.canton.edu-