NORTHFIELD, Minn — Two charges have been dropped against the former St. Olaf student who was initially suspected of planning a mass shooting. Now more evidence is coming out that there was never a plot.
That's exactly what the judge ruled — that there is no evidence of a conspiracy to carry out an attack at St. Olaf College. However, the things campus security found certainly still made them uncomfortable, and new body camera video shows how Kurts was confronted about it.
"I mean, I just feel super uncomfortable," St. Olaf Public Safety Department Director Derek Kruse whispered to Dean of Students Rosalyn Eaton in the hallway as Kurts waited in Eaton's office, as captured on Kruse's body camera. "There's ramblings that we found. And notebooks. Just like.. a lot of stuff that scares me."
The video shows the distress the dean and head of security felt after finding a number of alarming items in Waylon Kurts' dorm room — empty ammo boxes, an extended Glock magazine, smoke grenades and tactical gear.
"Those things add up to more than what I would consider a normal shooter, like recreational shooter, would have," Kruse said to Kurts.
"I understand that all the points — it's like, what's he up to here? But I assure you, it's nothing insidious. I'm an enthusiast, I'd say," Kurts responded.
Police later found disturbing writings detailing how to ensure death while shooting.
Combined with a hand-drawn map of the athletic building on campus, police suspected Kurts was planning a mass shooting. He was charged with conspiracy to commit assault and threats of violence.
But after a judge reviewed the evidence, she disagreed, ruling there is no evidence of a conspiracy.
"That's for the purpose of hunting, recreational shooting back in Vermont," Kurts said.
"It's something to be enthusiastic about, but common sense would be not to have that stuff on campus. I mean, the flags it raised," Kruse responded. "Things you enjoy but appear to everyone else to be, you know, active shooter."
"Right, it's hard to draw those distinctions between someone who's enthusiastic and can be responsible and perhaps obsessed in unknown quantity. I understand that is tricky to draw those distinctions," Kurts said.
Kurts is still charged with one count of terroristic threats and it will go to trial unless there is a plea deal. What that charge means, according to the judge, is that Kurts would have known that having those items on campus could cause extreme fear.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: