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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A former New Mexico State University student has pleaded guilty to hindering an investigation into an online threat to shoot up the school last year.
Prosecutors say 19-year-old Zachary Milton Hess of Las Cruces pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to a misdemeanor.
Under terms of his plea agreement, Hess will be sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay nearly $78,000 in restitution to cover the school's cost in responding to the threat.
Hess was arrested last Aug. 25.
Authorities say someone threatened to shoot up the NMSU campus within three days during an internet chat on May 27.
An FBI investigation linked the threat to Hess' home computer.
Prosecutors say Hess admitted that he knew about the online threat and assisted in hindering the investigation.
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