Judge drops some charges against ex-Minnesota college student feared of plotting campus shooting

NORTHFIELD, Minn. (AP) — A judge has dismissed some of the most serious charges against a former Minnesota college student who police and prosecutors feared was plotting a campus shooting. Waylon Kurts, of Montpelier, Vermont, was a student at St. Olaf College in Northfield, when he was charged last year with multiple felony counts. But a Rice County judge has dismissed two of the felony counts against Kurts, citing a lack of evidence. Kurts was arrested after a custodian found two empty packages for gun magazines outside Kurts’ dorm room. Police then found tactical gear and a hand-drawn floorplan of a campus athletic facility. Kurts has pleaded not guilty and maintained that he is a recreational firearms enthusiast.