MAUSTON, Wis. — A Mauston man has been placed on probation after pleading no contest to sending threatening messages to the Western Technical College campus in Tomah via Facebook.
Court plea and sentence
Forty-year-old Evan Zeman entered a no-contest plea to two charges: one count of computer messaging threatening harm and one count of disorderly conduct. Judge Richard Radcliffe imposed a sentence of 12 months of probation.
Felony counts dismissed but recorded
Prosecutors also filed felony counts alleging threatening to injure and making terrorist threats. Those felony charges were dismissed at sentencing but were “read in” by the court, meaning the facts underlying them were placed on the record and considered during disposition.
Allegations and method
The charges stemmed from Facebook messages Zeman sent to the Western Technical College campus in Tomah. According to court filings, he threatened to set the cars of a teacher on fire. The exact timing of the messages and whether any physical property was damaged were not detailed in the public summary of the case.
- Defendant: Evan Zeman, 40, Mauston, Wis.
- Charges pleaded: computer messaging threatening harm; disorderly conduct
- Charges dismissed but read in: threatening to injure; making terrorist threats (felony counts)
- Sentence: 12 months of probation
| Charge | Disposition |
|---|---|
| Computer messaging threatening harm | No contest plea — probation |
| Disorderly conduct | No contest plea — probation |
| Threatening to injure | Felony dismissed but read in |
| Making terrorist threats | Felony dismissed but read in |
Context and legal implications
Threats communicated via social media to schools and campuses are treated seriously by law enforcement and prosecutors across North America because of the potential for harm and the fear they generate within communities. A no-contest plea means the defendant does not admit guilt but accepts conviction and sentencing; the court may rely on the record of the conduct in reaching a disposition.
When higher-level charges are dismissed but read into the record, courts can take the alleged conduct into account without the defendant being convicted on those particular counts. That practice can affect sentencing or future proceedings, including considerations for probation conditions and monitoring.
Public safety and institutional response
The summary available publicly does not indicate whether the college implemented additional safety measures, whether law enforcement increased patrols in Tomah or at Western Technical College campuses, or whether staff were offered support or notified of the threat beyond standard notification procedures. Campus threats commonly prompt coordination between local police and institutional safety officials to assess risk and communicate with students, faculty and staff.
Details about any probation conditions imposed by Judge Radcliffe — such as restrictions on contact, prohibitions on accessing certain online platforms, or requirements to undergo counselling — were not provided in the court summary. Probation terms often include such conditions intended to reduce the risk of recurrence and to monitor compliance.
The case underscores continuing tensions around the use of social media as a vector for threats against educational settings and the legal mechanisms prosecutors and courts use to address them while balancing evidentiary and procedural considerations.
