Phan released by judge

Luong Phan, a previous student at Allegheny College, has been sentenced for making terroristic threats against other students at the college via Facebook on Dec. 9, 2014. Phan spent almost two months in jail during his legal proceedings. This time was counted toward his sentence, and he was released immediately under the condition that he serve five years under supervision similar to parole, according to the Erie Times-News.

“The legal proceedings are complete, and the next phase is supervision,” said Kevin Kallenbach, the assistant public defender who represented Phan.

Kallenbach confirmed that Phan is planning to continue an education in engineering in the future, but that Phan does not know where. Another part of Phan’s sentencing stated he must disclose the incident he had at Allegheny to any institution he plans on attending.

The Erie Times-News reported that Phan’s posts were due to a pre-existing psychosis being triggered by marijuana that was laced with another substance.

Interim Dean of Students Jacquie Kondrot said that at the time of the posts, the college was in contact with the Erie authorities.

“In this case we worked with authorities in Erie, and at that time we also were in touch with [Phan’s] family,” Kondrot said.

Allegheny Student Government President Haley Riley, ’16, said that since the incident, the college has been more proactive in monitoring social media sites such as Yik Yak and Facebook.

“The administration has been paying attention to social media,” said Riley. “Even trustees have been paying attention to the issue.”

The administration has paid particular attention to posts on anonymous mediums that imply self-harm.

Kallenbach said that Phan did not try to deny or make excuses for what happened.

“He took full responsibility for his actions,” Kallenbach said. “He took care of this appropriately and responsibly.”

Phan has been banned from the City of Meadville and from having any contact with anyone from Allegheny. He has also been prohibited from possessing weapons.

“My only request would be that if anyone does hear from him or if he does attempt to contact anyone, that they should notify safety and security immediately,” said Kondrot.

In case of any future incidents, Kondrot wants to remind students that it is good to speak up about suspicious behavior.