Maryland Teen Sentenced to One Year in Prison for Plotting School Shootings

ROCKVILLE, Md. — A 19-year-old Maryland teenager, Alex Ye, was sentenced on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, to serve one year in prison after being found guilty of threatening mass violence by planning shootings at Wootton High School and Lakewood Elementary School in Montgomery County. The sentencing follows a high-profile case that raised concerns about school safety and mental health intervention.

Ye, who was 18 at the time of his arrest in April 2024, received a 10-year sentence with all but 12 months suspended, according to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office. Upon release, he will face five years of supervised probation, with stringent conditions including biweekly court check-ins, mandatory mental health treatment, a ban from Wootton High School and Lakewood Elementary, and a prohibition from using the Discord app, where he had communicated about his plans. Ye was also ordered to complete 80 hours of community service within the first year of his release.

The case centered on a 129-page manifesto written by Ye, which detailed plans to carry out mass shootings at the two schools. Prosecutors described the document as a chilling blueprint, noting that it specified “easiest target” classrooms and contemplated attacks on both a high school and an elementary school. While Ye’s defense team argued the manifesto was a fictional work protected by the First Amendment, Montgomery County Judge Jill Cummins ruled in January 2025 that the document constituted a genuine threat, supported by Ye’s online conversations praising school shooters and expressing homicidal ideation.

The investigation began in March 2024 after an acquaintance Ye met at a psychiatric facility alerted authorities to the manifesto, which Ye had shared via Instagram. The tipster, described as a “reasonable person” by the court, believed the writings bore striking similarities to Ye’s life and indicated an imminent threat. Police uncovered additional evidence, including internet searches for gun ranges, past school shootings, and prison sentences, as well as social media posts expressing a desire to gain fame through a school shooting. Court records also revealed Ye’s hospitalization in December 2022 for threatening to “shoot up a school” and discussing “suicide by cop” in early 2023.

Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy emphasized the gravity of the case, stating, “This was not a joke, this was not jest, and it was not protected speech.” He credited the vigilance of Ye’s acquaintance, school counselors, and psychiatric staff for preventing a potential tragedy. Wootton High School’s principal increased security measures upon learning of the threat, reflecting the community’s heightened alertness.

Ye’s defense team expressed disappointment with the verdict, maintaining that the manifesto was a fictional work and that Ye had no intent to commit violence. “Mr. Ye has consistently maintained that his intent was solely to share a fictional book he authored,” the defense stated, adding that Ye and his family are focused on “healing and restoration” post-incarceration. Ye, who was enrolled in a virtual learning program and had not attended Montgomery County Public Schools in person since fall 2022, received credit for 14 months served and will remain in a local prison for the duration of his sentence.

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