SEATTLE (AP) — A man pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct Tuesday for writing on a newspaper Web site that he was going to shoot up a shopping mall one day after a shooting spree in another Washington state town.
Jeffrey Gargaro, 28, of Blaine, was initially charged with felony harassment for making threats to kill, but agreed to a plea deal on the reduced charge, a misdemeanor that carries a $250 fine. He agreed to pay nearly $1,200 in restitution to police for the comment he made on The Bellingham Herald's Web site last month.
He pleaded guilty with a deferred sentence, which means that the conviction will be cleared from his record if he pays his legal obligations and stays on good behavior until next April.
Gargaro and his attorney had sought to fight the charge on free-speech grounds, arguing that Gargaro was making a sarcastic point and never intended to hurt or threaten anyone.