$500,000 bail donated in Facebook-threat jailing

Justin River Carter, 19 Justin River Carter, 19 Photo: Comal County Sheriff's Office Photo: Comal County Sheriff's Office Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close $500,000 bail donated in Facebook-threat jailing 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

An anonymous donor provided $500,000 to post bail Thursday for Justin Carter, 19, who faces a terroristic threat charge for writing on Facebook that he was going to “shoot up a kindergarten.”

Carter had been jailed since April, when he was indicted by a Comal County grand jury on the third-degree felony for his Feb. 13 Facebook post.

The case has drawn international media attention and, according to Carter's attorney, and thousands of people have sent messages of support, calling the charge inappropriate for a crude but sarcastic comment.

One man offered more than a message. The donor “was appalled at the fact that Justin was stuck in jail with such an unreasonably high bond,” said Carter's attorney, Donald Flanary III. “He believes in him, he believes in his innocence and he believes in his First Amendment rights.”

Flanary wouldn't identify the donor or say if he resided in the area. The donor contacted the defense team with an offer to help, Flanary said.

Comal County Jail officials confirmed Carter was released Thursday around 12:30 p.m. He left with Flanary, who posted the bail, and is with his family, Flanary said.

“He's extremely happy to be released and very thankful to the person who posted his bond and very thankful to the thousands of people who are supporting him,” said Flanary, who's representing Carter for free.

Carter, who worked at a San Antonio drapery firm, turned 19 in jail.

Jennifer Tharp, the Comal County criminal district attorney, has declined to comment on the case.

She noted in a statement last week that third-degree felonies are punishable by up to 10 years in prison but that a defendant with no previous felony convictions could get deferred adjudication probation “if the court finds that it is in the best interest of the defendant and society.”

A bail-reduction hearing set for Tuesday has been canceled, Flanary said.

An online petition started by Carter's mother, Jennifer Carter, has been signed by almost 123,000 people. She also launched an online donation site to “raise the outrageous bond of $500,000” and supporters have been selling “Free Justin Carter” T-shirts.

Carter got into an argument on an online message board, which then spread to Facebook, his mother wrote on the fundraising page.

When someone on Facebook said he was crazy, Carter wrote he was so crazy he was going to shoot children at a school.

“What I said was terrible, mean and downright stupid,” Carter wrote in an undated letter to a judge from jail, which was filed with the court in May.

“The misunderstanding was that I wasn't trying to scare anyone, I was trying to be witty and sarcastic,” he wrote. “I failed and I was arrested.”

djoseph@express-news.net