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Teen Who Threatened Mass Violence Accused of Harassing Witnesses, Says He Was ‘Misinterpreted'

A teen who threatened to shoot people at a Bethesda high school last year is now accused of harassing the people who reported him to police. 

Luis Cabrera served six months in jail for threatening mass violence at Walter Johnson High School in 2018, and is currently on probation for five years. He'd posted several threats on Snapchat, including a picture of himself holding a loaded gun with the caption "school shooter," police said. 

A year later, prosecutors said Cabrera still hasn't learned from his mistakes.

Cabrera recently posted photos of his charging documents on social media. Witnesses' names were crossed out in the documents, but Cabrera allegedly wrote the names back in.

Prosecutors said he was trying to harass the witnesses, but Cabrera said he was "misinterpreted."

"You have to look into both sides," Cabrera said. "In no way was it meant to cause any fear to anybody; it was more to make fun of myself."

Judge Margaret Schweitzer ruled in favor of Cabrera Thursday, saying that she was giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Ramon Korionoff of Montgomery County's state's attorney's office said they had hoped Cabrera would be punished.

"Unfortunately, sometimes rulings are not always in our favor," Korionoff said. "Today's hearing was part of our attempt to continue to monitor and hold this individual accountable for those misguided and really scary postings."

Cabrera's ankle monitor is set to expire in the middle of the upcoming school year, but prosecutors asked the judge to extend it until the school year is over, when all the witnesses in the case would be graduating.

The judge denied the request, saying ankle monitoring isn't done in real time. It's up to the school to be vigilant, she said. 

Cabrera is not allowed to go near Walter Johnson High School. He will enroll at Montgomery County Community College this fall.

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