VALDOSTA — The former Valdosta State University student who eluded law enforcement for a month after allegedly bringing a gun on campus was denied bond today following his extradition to Lowndes County from Florida.
Eric Eugene Sheppard Jr., 21, created a national media firestorm when he was seen walking on an American flag during campus protests. A warrant was issued for his arrest in April after he allegedly left a firearm inside a backpack on campus.
Sheppard hid from law enforcement for a month before he was arrested last week after authorities tracked him to a home in Tampa, Fla. He waived his right to an extradition hearing after his arrest and was transported to the Lowndes County Jail early this morning, according to the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheppard has been charged with carrying a weapon within a school safety zone, according to LCSO.
Sheppard appeared before a Lowndes County Magistrate Court judge today and was denied bond, according to LCSO. If he elects to appeal the decision, he could appear before a superior court judge within the next two weeks.
Sheppard was arrested one week after he sent a racially charged manifesto to The Valdosta Daily Times, in which he noted he would “annihilate” anyone who tried to take him into custody, issued what seemed to be threats related to the Lowndes High School graduation ceremony and condemned all white people and police.
Sheppard’s lawyer, Mawuli Davis of the Davis Bozeman law firm in Atlanta, has characterized his client as “merely a college kid trying to figure out life under some extraordinary stressful circumstances” and has said he is not a threat to the community.
http://m.valdostadailytimes.com/new...c8a-0a20-11e5-80cb-b7b6b4e6dfad.html?mode=jqm