Mary Lett

University of Southern Mississippi Police Department have arrested Brandon Hardin, 20, in conjunction with Monday morning's social media threat.

Hardin, a business major from Carriere, is being charged with posting a computer threat to cause injury, a felony offense, according to a USM press release sent Monday night.

Hardin is accused of having made an anonymous post on the social media application, Yik Yak, Monday morning that threatened members of the university community at Joseph Greene Hall.

University Police are continuing the investigation following an interview with Hardin, but there has been no corroborating information or evidence to support a threat to campus.

"We are pleased that we are close to a resolution in this case," said University Police Chief Bob Hopkins. "The quick arrest is a credit to good and efficient detective work. This incident should serve as another reminder that safety is of primary importance to The University of Southern Mississippi, and you are responsible for what you post on social media."

USM Police said earlier Monday that Yik Yak officials were cooperating with the investigation.

The anonymous post — made on the Yik Yak app Monday morning — led campus police and administrators to issue an Eagle Alert to students and parents and increase security in and around Joseph Greene Hall.

The 11-word two-sentence post also recommended students miss class today at "JGH."

"I was first contacted about 10 a.m. after a student received a message to look at Yik Yak," said Hopkins during a press conference Monday afternoon. "We immediately started investigating it and are currently trying to ascertain who posted the comment."

Hopkins said the culprit could possibly be charged with a terrorist threat.

"With their (Yik Yak officials) help, we hope we will be able to resolve this threat," Hopkins said.

Similar threats have recently occurred at other universities and schools across the country.

At the University of Alabama, police set up a perimeter around Tutwiler Hall, an all-female dorm, about 11 p.m. Sunday after threats of gun violence, according to USA Today.

Campus police searched the dorm for about an hour, but a university-issued email said the search turned up "no weapons or unauthorized persons," USA Today reported. The information that led to the lockdown and search was based on rumors and social media posts, not actual witness accounts, the news story said.

University of Alabama Police said they will continue to investigate to determine the origin of the posts.

The Alabama lockdown came two days after the Zell B. Miller Learning Center at the University of Georgia was evacuated for similar social media threats. A 19-year-old UGA student, Ariel Omar Arias, was arrested Friday and charged with two counts of terroristic threats.

At Southern Miss, it was business as usual Monday afternoon, but some students said the Yik Yak post concerned them.

"I was initially concerned when I got the Eagle Alert, but when I saw all of the officers near Joseph Greene Hall, I felt better," said Lindsey Theriot, 21, of Mandeville, Louisiana. "I don't have any classes in Joseph Greene, but I do have classes in a building nearby — Fritzsche-Gibbs Hall."

Theriot, a senior, said she used to subscribe to Yik Yak but deleted her account because it caused problems.

"This app just makes bullying easier for high school and college kids and bullying is already a big problem," she added.

Marie Erobu, 26, of Mobile, Alabama, said she was worried at first but felt better with the increased police presence.

"I don't understand why anyone would want to subscribe to the anonymous app — it seems its only purpose is to be mean or bully or make threats," said Erobu. "I had never even heard of Yik Yak until today. I'm on social media a lot — Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram."

Parents also were worried about the incident.

Christie Graves of Natchez, the mother of Southern Miss sophomore Chamberlain Graves, said she was very worried when she received several recorded Eagle Alert messages Monday morning.

"The first one came in telling me about the alert and that university police would increase security around Joseph Greene Hall. I got a second one later that said they may possibly start evacuating the school," Graves said.

She said she had tried to get information from university officials but was told she would receive information by Eagle Alerts.

"As parents, we're hours and hundreds of miles away from our children and we're getting these recorded alerts," she added. "We just wonder will we know something soon or will it be too late."

Graves said she and her husband, Ted Graves, are both Southern Miss graduates and members of the alumni association.

"We're considering sending another child, our son, Jarrett, who is a high school senior, there. In fact, we were planning to come up next weekend for Black and Gold Day so that Jarrett could tour the campus," she said.

The social media app is prevalent on high school and college campuses nationwide. At other local universities and colleges, officials say they have not had any serious problems with the app.

Pearl River Community College officials said Yik Yak posts were prevalent last week, and campus police followed up on several posts — none of which were considered credible or which constituted a major threat.

At William Carey, administrators said the app was not a problem.

"We are not having any problems with Yik Yak at Carey," said Barbara Hamilton, executive assistant to the president at William Carey University.