Formal felony intimidation charge filed in school gun case

Mason Larrison

A formal charge has been filed in Bartholomew Circuit Court against a Columbus East High School student accused of threatening another young man with a gun in the school’s parking lot earlier this month.

Mason D. Larrison, 18, has been charged with intimidation with a deadly weapon as a Level 5 felony as a result of a Feb. 2 incident that followed a school basketball game. If found guilty, Larrison – a receiver on the school’s football team last fall – could face up to six years in prison, as well as fines of up to $10,000.

Court documents filed Thursday state the alleged victim told investigators he had been spending time with Larrison’s former girlfriend, which prompted the defendant to send him threatening online messages.

Some Instagram messages indicated Larrison only wanted a fist fight, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by a Columbus Police Department detective.

Larrison also threatened the young male by telling him he had a gun and wanted to kill him, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Following the Columbus East-Brownstown Central basketball game, the victim was a passenger in a vehicle occupied by two others in the East school parking lot. That’s when Larrison ran up to the vehicle, the affidavit states.

“Larrison pulled out a handgun and point it into the back seat of the vehicle where (his ex-girlfriend’s companion) was sitting,” according to the affidavit. ”Larrison told (the young man) to get out of the vehicle. Larrison attempted to open the rear door of the vehicle, but (the victim) was able to hold the door shut.”

Although the driver sped away from the scene, Larrison attempted to follow them in another vehicle, but the three were eventually able to lose their pursuer, the affidavit states.

After the trio made a phone call to make a complaint to law enforcement, they were met by Columbus Police Officer John Mophew near the intersection of Interstate 65 and State Road 46, court documents state.

The following day, Columbus East School Resource Officer Sgt. Julie Quesenbery went to the home of Larrison’s mother and stepfather in the 3000 block of Grange Drive.

While both told Quesenbery the 18-year-old no longer had access to the gun, they turned over a Taurus 9mm handgun to the officer, court documents state. The affadavit states the weapon matched the description of the firearm provided by witnesses who saw the threats after the basketball game.

Larrison was arrested and booked on multiple preliminary charges into the Bartholomew County Jail at 1:37 p.m. on Feb. 3. Bond was originally set at $117,500, according to court records.

However, Larrison was released from jail on a much lower bond and a formal charge was not filed for nearly three weeks, according to court records. No information provided by investigators about whether the gun Larrison allegedly was carrying had been confiscated until the probable cause affidavit was made public when the formal charge was filed this week by the prosecutor’s office.

“Measures were taken to ensure community safety, namely our office filed a 72-hour hold on this case,” Bartholomew County Prosecutor Lindsey Holden-Kay said.

However, Juvenile Magistrate Brittney Newland lowered the bond for Larrison to $20,000 surety or $2,000 cash, which enabled Larrison to be released from jail.

“Unfortunately, if the defendant is able to post bond as set by the judge, there is nothing my office can do to keep them held,” Holden-Kay said.

An initial hearing for Larrison has not yet been set in Bartholomew Circuit Court.