A 20-year-old college student in Georgia has spent the past six months in jail—and could spend up to five years—for making what he considers “an experimental literary piece and art project” to his personal Tumblr.
The “literary piece” Caleb Clemmons speaks of was actually somewhat concerning: He announced on the blogging platform that he planned to open fire on staff and fellow students at Georgia Southern University.
“hello. my name is irenigg and i plan on shooting up georgia southern,” he posted on Feb. 8. “pass this around to see the affect it has. to see if i get arrested.”
He did.
Clemmons has been held in the Bullock County jail since the posting, held on a $20,000 bond, which his family can’t afford. He has repeatedly claimed his innocence, telling authorities and anyone else who listen that he was just messing around when he posted the plan.
Still, as the case of Justin Carter, who spent five months in prison for making a likeminded threat on Facebook, proves, there’s a serious line of consequences that could come about for creating such a scene. Police weren’t able to find any weapons or “continuous threats” when they searched Clemmons’ domicile, but he was arrested either way. It likely did not help that Clemmons maintained somewhat of a tattooed rap sheet. In years prior, he’s faced two arrests: one for fighting with his step-father, and another for possession of marijuana.
Supporters have taken over Clemmons’ Tumblr to maintain his innocence and bring attention to the belief that “Caleb Clemmons is not a terrorist.” They’ve set up a donation page and GoFundMe campaign to raise money for an attorney, and hope that they’ll be able to put up the money for his bond shortly.
Clemmons goes to trial this week.
H/T Gawker | Photo via king jaffe joffer/Tumblr