Teen Charged With Online Threat Under House Arrest

The East Lyme teen charged with posting a violent threat to a social media site will remain under house arrest and has been ordered to stay off social media.

Tyler McKenzie, 18, faced a judge on Friday.

He was arrested on New Year's Eve, about a week after someone contacted police to report a disturbing comment posted on YikYak, a social media site that allows users to post anonymous comments.

"I've been bullied to (sic) long, after break East Lyme better be ready for the hail of bullets," the comment on YikYak read.

According to an arrest warrant application, police obtained an IP address and GPS coordinates that led them to McKenzie, a UConn student, as a suspect.

Police and the FBI applied for a search warrant and searched McKenzie's home on Cubles Drive in East Lyme on Wednesday. They seized McKenzie's cell phone and interviewed him about the posting on YikYak.

A judge agreed to release McKenzie after the teen's court appearance on Friday, with restrictions.

He has been ordered to stay off social media, he can only use a computer for school purposes, cannot use the internet for any purpose, he must stay away from East Lyme school property and cannot have any weapons.

McKenzie admitted to police he made the threatening comments, according to the arrest warrant application.

Police said McKenzie told officers when he made the post, he didn't believe he wanted to harm anyone, but he wasn't sure. He said he had no plans to carry out the threat, according to the warrant.

McKenzie has no prior criminal history and had no weapons, police said.

He faces charges of first-degree threatening and second degree breach of peace.

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