VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WVEC) — A teenager who was once accused of planning a terrorist attack at a Virginia Beach school prom was found not guilty of weapons charges related to that incident on Thursday morning.
18-year-old Michael Coleman was originally arrested for conspiracy to commit a terrorist act and two counts of trying to conceal a weapon back in June. Authorities claimed at the time Coleman and a 17-year-old had planned to attack Bayside High School's prom at Town Center.
Within weeks, however, the case against Coleman and the other teen seemed to unravel. Both teens had their terrorism charges nolle prossed, a legal motion where prosecutors withdraw a charge due to lack of evidence, but can be brought back if more evidence is presented.
On Thursday, Coleman faced a bench trial on the two gun charges, both misdemeanors. One charge was for a semi-automatic rifle found in a hotel room at the Westin at Town Center, where the prom was taking place. The second gun charge was for a handgun that was found on a sidewalk while Coleman allegedly tried to elude arrest from police.
Police claimed Coleman discarded that gun on a sidewalk as he fled the hotel. Prosecutors reportedly ordered fingerprint tests for the discarded gun, but the test was never sent to the lab for analysis, meaning there were no test results to tie Coleman with the firearm.
The charge related to the rifle found in the hotel room was nolle prossed, leaving Coleman with only a single count of trying to conceal a weapon.
That charge, which was connected with the discarded gun on the sidewalk, was the only one brought to trial on Thursday, but because of a lack of evidence, the judge ruled Coleman was not guilty.
Coleman's legal issues are not over, however. He still faces charges in connection with an unrelated shooting in Norfolk.