By Sana Cole
The Scene staff
Two students on the Meramec campus of St. Louis Community College are in trouble due to threatening social-media posts.
Last month, Kara N. Hohman, 20, of South St. Louis County, turned herself into Meramec police after allegedly making a threat to campus faculty.
Her tweet stated that she would “kill someone if her financial aid didn’t figure itself out soon,” according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The threat was discovered by a public-affairs employee, who notified campus police.
“If there is a threat, we notify the authorities immediately,” said Meramec police officer Edward Ucinski said. “If there is a perceived criminal threat, we will investigate.”
According to St. Louis County court records, Hohman was charged Aug. 30 with peace disturbance, a Class B misdemeanor. She has been expelled from Meramec.
Forest Park Police Chief Richard Banahan supports the way the college handled the case and believes Forest Park officials would have responded in a similar way.
“The most important thing is the safety of students, faculty and staff,” Banahan said. “We try to measure our response to the nature of the threat.”
Earlier this month, St. Louis County police arrested Meramec student Andrew Middleton, who allegedly had posted threats against former classmates from Lindbergh High School on their Class of 2003 Facebook page.
The incident reportedly caused the class to cancel its 10-year reunion just days before it was supposed to take place.
“We have been notified of it, and (Middleton) is not allowed on campus,” Ucinski said.
Uncinski also said extra campus security was put in place to ensure the safety of students, faculty and staff.
Middleton apparently didn’t threaten anyone at Meramec, but officials say he can’t return to campus or any other college facility until further notice. He’s being held on a $25,000 bond.
Forest Park Communications Specialist Lynn Venhaus said her office monitors social-media activity closely and alerts campus police if she notices any suspicious activity.
“We take any type of threat very seriously,” Venhaus said. “There are consequences to what people post. If it’s a violent threat we must follow through. We work very hard to inform the campus community of what’s happening.”
Forest Park students have mixed feelings about Meramec’s handling of the case involving the female tweeter.
Photography student Wayne Young applauded Meramec’s decision to reprimand her.
“She made a threat, and the school has no tolerance for things like this,” he said. “She should’ve have known better.”
Photography student Michael Cross, 52, disagrees.
“If you stifle people from saying what they want, you’re interrupting their freedom of speech,” Cross said. “If she didn’t act on it, what’s the big deal?”
Hohman is due in court Oct. 2 for a criminal setting under Judge Dennis N. Smith.