Updated March 1, 2025 at 1:18 p.m.
Michigan State University’s police chief says students were never in danger after a false threat to the campus community was posted on social media this past week.
Hope Duncan, an 18-year-old student from Eastpointe, allegedly made the threat online Wednesday afternoon and was taken into custody less than an hour later.
Police Chief Mike Yankowski said MSU Police immediately got to work identifying the source and credibility of the threat.
“There was never at one point in time that it was a credible threat for the university, that they were in immediate emergency harm,” Yankowski said.
The Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office has charged Duncan with making a false report or threat of terrorism and using a computer to commit a crime.
Each of those charges carries an up to 20-year prison sentence.
Yankowski said the potential penalty should deter others from posting threats in the future.
“I think the message is just as simple as that, you know, we’re not going to tolerate these types of threats on our campus or on any campus across the country,” Yankowski said.
Duncan’s next court hearing will take place later in March.
A bond of $20,000 has been set.
