OAKLAND, Calif. _ A man charged with threatening to shoot up Ohio State University and "seriously" harm the football team last year was arrested in Livermore on Sunday and is being extradited to face federal charges in Ohio, court records show.
Daniel Lee Rippy was arrested in Livermore on suspicion of being a fugitive from justice, according to court records. He faces a charge of threat in interstate communications, a federal offense, in the Southern District of Ohio.
According to the indictment against him, Rippy allegedly transmitted an "electronic communication" to Ohio State University that read, "Your school is going to get shot the f--- up and I'm seriously going to hurt the students and all the players from the football team."
The timing of the threat contains a clue about the motive: It was sent during a Nov. 24, 2018, game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines, in which the Buckeyes were running up the score in a blowout victory.
The Buckeyes won the game by a tally of 62-39. A story about the game by the Detroit Free Press noted that "the Buckeyes didn't just eviscerate and embarrass Michigan, they stole a chunk of their soul."
Rippy remains in federal custody in the Bay Area, for now, but is expected to be transferred to Ohio where the court process will kick off with his arraignment. The threats charge carries a maximum of five years, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
