Although his defense lawyer described it as a “bad attempt at humor,” a former Knoch High School student who caused a scare at the school earlier this year was sentenced Thursday to time served to one year after pleading no contest in July to terroristic threats.

Butler County Common Pleas Judge Timothy McCune also sentenced Jason M. Bowen, 19, to two years of probation and continuing mental health treatment he was ordered to undergo after being arrested Jan. 6 when a Snapchat video surfaced depicting him firing a gun with the caption “Training for Prom Walk” scrawled over the video.

Bowen was immediately paroled after getting credit for time served between his arrest and subsequent detention in January.

Part of the plea deal requires Bowen to stay off all social media platforms during his government supervision.

Additionally, he is not permitted on South Butler County School District grounds. District Superintendent David Foley declined to comment on the sentencing.

Bowen's lawyer, Robert Mielnicki, said in a previous interview that the case demonstrates the limits of free speech protected in the U.S. Constitution. He said Bowen's actions could be interpreted as a threat to a group of people.

“In the end, it was a bad joke taken too far,” Mielnicki said.

Mielnicki on Thursday questioned whether the state's Supreme Court one day would consider Bowen's actions as protected speech.

“Does this bother me? Maybe it shouldn't be a crime? Yes. But could we have pushed this case through on the free speech merits? Maybe,” Mielnicki said. “It would've been a hard sell to say this is protected speech. It was difficult, and in the end it was Jason Bowen's decision and his family's, not mine.”

After Thursday's sentencing, Mielnicki further reflected on the case.

“This was a tough case for me. Tough case for (the district attorney). Tough case for the Bowens. Tough case for the judge. I wouldn't want to be a judge in this case. It was a tough case all around, and it had to be resolved,” Mielnicki said. “Jason Bowen is a young man, and he has many years to change his life. It will jam him up on jobs, that's for sure.”

Bowen was arrested Jan. 6 and released to his parents' custody and supervision Feb. 5 after spending nearly a month in Butler County Prison on a $100,000 bond. The conditions of his release placed him on house arrest with electronic monitoring, according to McCune's order.

Additionally, Bowen was restricted to his parents' home with exceptions made for school, medical and church services. He was ordered to strictly comply with mental health treatment, and firearms were not permitted in the home.

Assistant District Attorney Laura Pitchford, who prosecuted the case, said the requirement that Bowen not use social media was included to prevent him from accessing Snapchat again. The mobile messaging app allows users to capture photos or brief video clips, add text or drawings, and then share them with friends, who can only see them for a brief period of time before they disappear.

A 2018 Pew Research Center study shows 95 percent of teens use a smart phone, and 45 percent of them say they are online on a near-constant basis.

In addition to the video, police said Bowen switched out a photograph of grieving parents on a front-page story on the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting in Newtown, Conn. That photograph, in which the defendant inserted an image of himself giving a thumbs-up gesture regarding the massacre, was posted on his Instagram account last year, according to court documents.

He originally faced a felony charge of risking a catastrophe, and misdemeanor charges of terroristic threats, possession of a prohibited offensive weapon and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Police said they found a set of brass knuckles and a container and glass pipe with suspected marijuana residue in his room when he was arrested at his family's home.

Bowen's bail initially was set at $25,000 following his preliminary arraignment. But within hours, District Judge Sue Haggerty increased the amount to $100,000.

“This was as a precaution,” Haggerty said at the time. “I have concerns for students and the community as to (Bowen's) mental state.”

Haggerty ordered the teen to undergo a mental health evaluation. She continued the high bail at Bowen's preliminary hearing, which followed his mental health evaluation, citing her ongoing concern for public safety.

On Jan. 23, Mielnicki filed a motion in Butler County court to have his client's bail modified.

Mielnicki again referenced Bowen's completed mental health evaluation on Jan. 14 and questioned the validity of the charges filed in the case, arguing the video was an inappropriate joke.

“When I met Bowen, he was vegetating in jail,” Mielnicki said Thursday. “He was just sitting there, and nobody was getting him out. And to McCune's credit, he was fair and went out on a limb to release Bowen.”