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Tim Nelson

More than $25,000 raised for student who prompted Orono lockdown

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Updated: 11:34 a.m. | Posted: 06:53 a.m.

An online fundraising effort has earned more than $25,000 in pledges for the family of student whose social media posts prompted a school lockdown in Orono last week.

A GoFundMe page set up for the student, described as having autism, says he is being held at the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center. He was arrested last week after police investigated an anonymous online posting that threatened a school shooting at Orono High School. It was the second threat in less than a day and prompted a lockdown for more than 900 students, just a week after 17 people were shot and killed at a school in Florida.

MPR News typically does not identify juveniles charged with crimes, although the fundraising page includes the student's name and a picture of him and his family. It says the student did not mean the threat, didn't have the means to carry it out and that he is despondent over the incident.

"The social media post was made in frustration with a group discussion regarding school safety, without the benefit of impulse control. There was no intention, nor the means, to carry out the threat," according to the GoFundMe page.

The money raised — the goal originaly was $25,000 but has now been raised to $30,000 — will help fund his and his family's legal and medical needs and time away from work.