Xbox Live threat leads to criminal charges

SIDEBAR: Supposed jokes about school shootings have been getting kids in trouble for years, but some people just haven't been getting the message. The latest such incident involves a 19-year-old Frostburg State University student who allegedly threatened to shoot up the Maryland school during an online Call of Duty 4 match over Xbox Live, according to a Cumberland Times-News report.

The student was taken from the school in handcuffs on Tuesday and charged with two misdemeanor counts of disrupting a school operation, and could face up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000. He is currently on an interim suspension until FSU has a chance to conduct an administrative hearing into the matter.

Police first got involved in the matter when one of the student's opponents based in Oregon called up the Frostburg Police Department to report a school shooting threat. Schools in the area were placed under "lock-in" status, students were notified of the situation through e-mail, and police worked with Microsoft and the teen's Internet service provider to trace the threat back to his dorm room.

A search of the room turned up no weapons, and the teen told authorities that he had no intention of following through with the threat.