Two former Barlow students arrested for threatening to ‘shoot up’ school
Allegedly posted plans on MySpace pages, talked murder, suicide
Contributed photos
Martin J. Varsamas and Keith U. Nelson
Two former Barlow High School students have been arrested on accusations related to alleged threats on MySpace.com to shoot and kill school officials and students.
Martin J. Varsamas, 18, of Gresham, and Keith U. Nelson, 18, of Troutdale, were arrested Monday, Nov. 23, and each was charged with one count of disorderly conduct and three counts of harassment – all misdemeanors – following an investigation that began with a tip from a citizen concerned about postings on the popular Web site MySpace.com.
Both suspects withdrew from Barlow in January 2008, according to the Gresham-Barlow School District. Varsamas was a junior and Nelson was a sophomore. During a Nov. 25 press conference, Superintendent John Miner said he did not know if either man had a history of disciplinary problems.
Police are still investigating whether anyone else was involved in the discussions, and whether more charges should be filed against the two suspects.
Both suspects are being held on $500,000 bail each at the Multnomah County Detention Center, and entered pleas of not guilty to all charges in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Tuesday, Nov. 24, according to Brenda Allen, deputy district attorney.
Pre-trial conferences are set for Friday, Dec. 18, and a trial is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 29, she added. If convicted on all charges, each suspect faces up to 30 months in jail, she said.
Investigation
A “concerned citizen,” whom Miner said was an adult living in the district, contacted the Barlow school resource officer, a Gresham Police officer, with a tip about the MySpace postings at 12:44 p.m. Monday. School administrators worked with the school resource officer as well as officers from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department and Fairview and Troutdale police at the school.
“As officers took up positions all around the school, the (resource officer) quickly identified the first suspect as … Varsamas,” the police said, noting the school was not evacuated and students were not alerted. “The posting indicated that he was ‘bored’ and wanted to know if anyone wanted to help him ‘shoot up’ Barlow.”
Sgt. Rick Wilson, Gresham Police spokesman, noted school and police officials did discuss a possible lockdown of Barlow, but were able to identify the suspects quickly enough to determine such a measure was not needed. Miner added that parents were notified of the situation via e-mail later on Monday, as well as through a posting on the district’s Web site.
Varsamas received a response allegedly sent by Nelson, and the “two suspects plotted to kill the SRO (school resource officer) first because the officer was an armed threat.” The duo “then plotted to kill the teachers next and students last.”
“Nelson also indicated a need for them to probably have to commit suicide,” the police said.
Varsamas
Police found Varsamas at his home around 1:55 p.m. where he was seated at his computer.
Varsamas allegedly admitted to the MySpace conversation “indicating that (he and Nelson) weren’t really serious, but admitted that it was kind of a litmus test to see if there really are ‘MySpace Police,’ ” police said.
He also allegedly told officers he wanted to see “how much trouble he would get into for posting the threat,” and that he had “been studying school shootings,” including the 1998 shooting at Thurston High School in Springfield, which left one student dead and 23 others wounded, police said.
“Varsamas described himself and Nelson as disgruntled students and were angry about perceived wrongs done to them, but he would never allow a shooting to actually occur,” police said, noting he was taken into custody.
Nelson
A short time later, police took Nelson into custody at his home in Troutdale.
Police allege Nelson confessed to sending a “number of MySpace messages (to Varsamas) about killing people at Barlow, the SRO in particular.” However, like Varsamas, “Nelson also stated that he was not serious about carrying out the plot.”
Miner’s remarks
The superintendent noted “we’re going to take any threat seriously,” and praised everyone involved with helping to resolve Monday’s situation.
“School safety is our number one priority,” he said. “We continually review and practice safety response plans to ensure they are up to date with the most recent research on school safety. We have a strong working relationship with the Gresham Police Department and continue to work closely with them on any safety issues.”