Prosecutors: Fake Marijuana Sparked UMass Attack

BELCHERTOWN, Mass. (AP) _ Prosecutors say an assault that prompted a two-hour shelter-in-place order at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst last month was sparked by two men who tried to pass off shredded vegetables as marijuana.

The detail came out in court Tuesday when 22-year-old Shawn Wyatt was granted $15,000 bail.

Wyatt was ordered to stay away from campus. He pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors say two Framingham men who were not UMass students tried to pass off the vegetables as pot to a student buyer on campus Feb. 18. When their ruse failed, they hit the student with a BB gun and stole $120.

Wyatt's attorney had asked for less bail, arguing Wyatt isn't a flight risk.

The other suspect, 19-year-old William McKeown, was freed Feb. 24 on $7,500 bail after pleading not guilty.