In the Montgomery County Circuit Court in Maryland, Judge Jill Cummins sentenced defendant Alex Ye to ten years in prison for threatening to “shoot up” Wootton High School in Rockville in 2024. All but 12 months of the sentence were suspended, and upon release, Ye is to serve five years of supervised probation.
Ye was arrested on April 16, 2024, after an investigation prompted by a 911 call from a concerned associate. Ye and this individual were communicating over Instagram and Ye sent a file containing a written 129-page manifesto about a high school shooting. In the book, Ye also mentioned the possibility of carrying out a shooting at an elementary school. In December of 2022, Alex Ye was hospitalized after making statements to a counselor at Wootton High School about wanting to “shoot up” his school.
Ye waived credit for the nearly 14 months he has already served since his arrest. (So the 12-month sentence begins now.) Judge Cummins set a hearing for September 25, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. for the defense to provide details on an ‘after care’ plan for the defendant upon his release.
The 5-year probation period will be rather unique in that the judge ordered the defendant to come to court and meet with her every two weeks to provide proof that he is meeting the conditions of his probation. There are multiple conditions, including mental health treatment and community service. He must also stay away from the two schools he threatened: Wootton High School and Lakewood Elementary School, and stay off the app ‘Discord.’
During today’s hearing, the State had recommended a ten-year sentence to be served at the Patuxent Youthful Offenders Program. The defense asked for time served. Information courtesy of the Montgomery County State’s Attorney.