Sheriff responds to threat at Keuka College

KEUKA COLLEGE—The Yates County Sheriff’s Department responded to a threat written on a bathroom stall at Keuka College’s Ball Hall Tuesday, Oct. 22. Executive Director of Communications Doug Lippincott said the threatening message was left in a black Sharpie-like marker on the wall of a men’s bathroom stall and was reported by two students to campus security at around 10:30 a.m. before the Yates County Sheriff and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were alerted.
Lippincott said the message refers to a shooting at a Nevada middle school that left one dead and two injured Monday, Oct. 21, saying, “Soon Keuka will have its day as well.” Lippincott said the message ends with a quote commonly attributed to Adolf Hitler that reads “It is not truth that matters, but victory,” but also said members of the history department believe it may have been said by Joesph Goebbels.
Lippincott said the school acted on the recommendation of the FBI and the sheriff’s department by not activating their early warning system, as the message did not include a specific threat. He said while the school takes the threat seriously, had the authorities believed there was an imminent danger, they would have activated the system. Lippincott said the school does have a plan in place in case of such emergency situations.
Lippincott said the day of the threat alert, the school took a photograph of the message and sent it to students and faculty to see if anybody recognized the writing or any person exhibiting this type of behavior. He said the school has received extensive feedback from students and faculty, but the investigation is ongoing. Lippincott said the authorities also do not believe this message is in any way connected to another threatening message found in Space Hall April 8, 2013.