DA drops charges against CSUCI student

Prosecutors have dropped charges against a California State University at Channel Islands freshman who was arrested April 19 after allegedly posting to a social networking website her plans to carry out a shooting spree on the local campus.

The Ventura County district attorney's office confirmed earlier this week they rejected the case against Alisha Salazar, 18, on May 24. Salazar, a San Diego County resident, was arrested on a felony charge for making a criminal threat.

Prosecutors won't say why the case was rejected. Dep. District Attorney Mike Wise did not return a phone call from the Camarillo Acorn. Salazar also did not return phone calls.

According to university officials, Salazar was arrested while in class about a half hour after a fellow student notified campus police about the threatening remarks Salazar allegedly wrote on Facebook, a social networking website.

University officials said her personal profile included the statement: "Alisha Salazar is going on a . . . school shooting spree! Watch out kiddies, better hide under that desk! Hahaha."

Salazar was arrested three days after the April 16 shooting spree at Virginia Tech University that left 33 students dead.

Lt. Michael Morris with the CSUCI police department said the investigation led them to believe Salazar did not own a gun. She has since been expelled from the university.

Morris said he wouldn't speculate on why Salazar wrote the online message and didn't know if it was an immature prank or a real threat.

"It's hard to get inside someone's head and determine what their state of mind really is," Morris said. "Our campus community was potentially in danger, and we acted accordingly."

- Daniel Wolowicz