UCA freshman Samuel Davies made his first appearance before Judge Charles “Ed” Clawson regarding two felony charges Oct. 26 in the Faulkner County Circuit Court.
The 18-year-old is charged with one count of terroristic threatening and one count of communication of a threat after posting threatening statements regarding campus safety on the social media site Yik Yak.
Davies’ mother accompanied him in court, as they waited through the nearly 50 cases before him on the docket. The pair was called to the stand with Davies’ defense attorney, Otto Fry, after nearly an hour and a half.
Despite the charges levied against him by the UCA police department upon his Oct. 5 arrest following his threats, Judge Clawson and Fry agreed to push Davies’ case to Nov. 9 due to a “lack of formal charges.”
Fry said without any formal charges there is a need to push the court date back to allow time for the prosecuting attorneys and police to finish their investigations.
Davies, of Saline County, was arrested after making the following post on Yik Yak: “Fellow yaks, you seem like good people and I care for you, so if you read this, please stay in your dorms or off campus next Wednesday, I care too much for you all to fall victim of the event.”
Davies made two posts in total, but was not arrested for the first one because UCAPD determined it “too vague” to be considered a valid threat. Upon exiting the courtroom, Davies replied to reporters with “no comment.”
Davies is currently being held on a $15,000 bond until his new Nov. 9 court date. Due to the ongoing investigation, Davies’ files remain sealed.
This article originally appeared in the Oct. 28, 2015 print edition of The Echo.
Image via UCAPD
