Before we get started, let me address the aardvark in the room. I’m sure some of you are asking, “Trench, what is CSAM?” CSAM is the new acronym for CP, which I shouldn’t have to explain. Apparently, using the CP phrase not only gets me smacked down in the Google rankings, but it’s also considered insensitive to its victims. It’s also the official term for it that law enforcement is now using.

Anyway, back in 2009, a then 17-year-old Philip Bay was arrested for plotting to set off bombs at Landstown High School in Virginia Beach. Bay was deemed a credible threat as he was found to be in possession of 28 pipe bombs, several Molotov cocktails, and other bomb making materials.

Bay was a columbiner, which means he had admiration for the Columbine shooters. Other students at the time said he talked about Columbine constantly and that he was anti-Semitic. His MySpace claimed his heroes were Eric Harris and whoever invented gunpowder. Bay was also said to skulk around the neighborhood in the prerequisite black trench coat, while carrying a large knife and BB gun.

Bay was tried as an adult and convicted in 2010. The following year, he was sentenced to 68 years, with 56 years suspended, resulting in a 12-year prison term. After serving eight years, he was released on probation in 2019. Keep those 56 years of a suspended sentence in mind.

In 2022, Bay was arrested and charged with 19 counts of possession of CSAM and one count of possession of obscene material with a minor. This past Thursday, he was convicted on all counts.

First off, if I had a 56-year prison sentence hanging over my head, I wouldn’t even download a torrent of the 1991 Ugly Kid Joe song “Everything About You”, let alone committing a major crime like this. Then again, I never planned on killing people with explosives at my school.

I like to think that most columbiners grow out of that phase before they hit adulthood. The problem is that even a few ‘adult’ columbiners can still cause a frightening amount of damage. Whether it’s a mass shooting or CSAM, it’s just a game to them.

Source: VB man convicted in school bomb threat case arraigned on 20 child porn charges