Maybe you saw this development when it occurred, maybe you didn’t. Either way, it’s a weird and disturbing story all at the same time and it comes by way of an update by the Columbus Dispatch.
A West Coast Michigan fan was sentenced to 12 months and a day of prison time for threats he made to Ohio State fans and players during the Buckeyes win over Michigan in 2018.
Daniel Lee Rippy, 29, of Livermore, California, pleaded guilty earlier this year in federal court in Columbus, Ohio to a single felony count of making a threat in interstate communications. He has been serving time ever since in Franklin County Jail as he awaited a sentence that could have led up to five years of incarceration.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge Algenon L. Marbley announced the final sentence during a hearing Tuesday morning and said the situation had to be taken seriously during a time when mass shootings are far too common.
“It’s not just a fan rooting for his team against another team,” Marbley said. “It’s someone who has threatened to take the lives of people he (doesn’t) know, simply because they’re representing an institution of higher learning. … We have to take this seriously, because it happens.”
According to the story that cites online court documents, Rippy was at home during the game on November 24, when he posted some threatening messages to an online messaging site.
Michigan fan gets year-plus in prison for making threats during game against Ohio State https://t.co/XjMGhUImaJ
— Columbus Dispatch (@DispatchAlerts) October 27, 2020
“Your school is going to get shot the (expletive) up and I’m seriously going to hurt the students and all the players from the football team,” he wrote.
Rippy said he was apparently worked up over a conversation and sports track talk he had with a buddy that added to a bad day he was having. Court documents show he issued an apology and felt remorse for his actions.
“I feel really bad about it,” Rippy said. “I know I affected a lot of people. I’m really sorry for that. … I have learned my lesson.”
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