DES MOINES, Iowa — A man accused of rushing the stage and causing mass panic at the National Speech and Debate Tournament in downtown Des Moines over the summer was given probation.
On June 19, the Des Moines Police Department along with other agencies responded to a report of a man who had rushed the stage at the National Speech and Debate Tournament being held at the EMC Expo Center and displayed behavior that “prompted safety concerns.”
Students at the debate told WHO 13 at the time that the man, later identified as 22-year-old Jayden Roccaforte from Wyoming, allegedly alluded to having a bomb.
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As a result of the safety concerns, the expo center was evacuated while law enforcement searched the building. The DMPD said that no weapons of any kind were found in the building.
Shortly after the incident, Roccaforte was arrested and booked into the Polk County Jail on charges of disorderly conduct and possession of a controlled substance…