Western Albemarle High School student Patrick Dittmar Crider, charged in January with threatening to kill four fellow students, entered a guilty plea yesterday in Charlottesville Circuit Court. Crider was arrested on January 14 after reportedly making threats against fellow students on Facebook.
The Daily Progress reports that Circuit Court Judge Paul Peatross, Jr. is considering Crider’s plea, and is expected to announce his decision this morning. If Judge Peatross accepts the plea, Crider will not be found guilty, and his behavior would be monitored until his 21st birthday, in 2012. The terms of the plea agreements include therapist visits, medication, an approved residence, no contact with the four students he threatened and no online social networking.
If Crider receives even a traffic violation ticket, the judge could convict him and charge him with a misdemeanor. If the violation is criminal or a felony, Crider could face up to five years in prison. For background on this story, click here.