College track star arrested after knives, tactical vest, empty ammo boxes discovered in dorm room

A college student in Minnesota has been arrested after prosecutors say they found evidence that he was "planning a mass casualty event."

On April 5, custodians at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, discovered empty boxes which once contained ammunition and high-capacity magazines in a garbage can outside one of the dorms. The custodians alerted authorities, who reportedly traced the packages to a dorm resident, 20-year-old sophomore Waylon Kurts, a member of the St. Olaf track team.

In Kurts' dorm room, investigators allegedly discovered a trove of weapons and tactical gear, including knives, a protective vest, propane, fireworks, information about local radio frequencies, a lock pick set, and firearm earmuffs and magazines, though no actual firearms.

They also allegedly found several notebooks detailing Kurts' plans to steal additional ammunition from Walmart as well as a map of the St. Olaf campus, where Kurts noted various entry and exit points at a recreational facility.

One section of the notebook even discussed the best places to aim for on the human body. "Shoot a person in 3 areas: Upper thorasic [sic], T-zone on face, Pelvis is a good target," Kurts wrote, according to the criminal complaint. "7/10 people shot with handguns survive. Shoot a lot," he allegedly wrote elsewhere.

In subsequent searches of his phone and vehicle, police say they discovered that Kurts had a co-conspirator. In one particularly disturbing text, Kurts reportedly sent the individual a picture of a campus bench with the message "Kids’ve got no idea what's in here, haha."

When questioned, Kurts stated that he believed that all of the items confiscated from his dorm room complied with campus policy. He also admitted that he is a "gun enthusiast" and claimed that he stored weapons at a gun range in Burnsville, about a half-hour away. Employees at the gun range did recognize Kurts but stated that they did not offer storage services.

Kurts was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit second-degree assault, conspiracy to commit threats of violence, making terroristic threats, and planning a theft.

Kurts "had been planning a mass casualty event," claimed a statement from the Rice County Attorney’s Office. "... At this stage in the investigation, it appears that the targeted building was Skoglund-Tostrud (the recreational facility on campus) and that both firearms and explosives would be used in an attack."

After the arrest, Kurts was suspended from school. His attorney, Paul Rogosheske, conceded that some of the evidence against Kurts looked "funny," but also claimed that prosecutors' theory had "holes" and that Kurts was not a threat to anyone.

Kurts is originally from Montpelier, Vermont, where he excelled in track and skiing. He remains in custody in Rice County Jail.

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