A 13-year-old Gray-New Gloucester Middle School student was charged with terrorizing after allegedly writing a bomb threat in a school bathroom.
A threat about the school “getting bombed” was found written on a bathroom stall Wednesday afternoon, prompting an evacuation of all students and staff to the high school. The note left in the bathroom emphasized that the threat should be taken seriously, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office and Maine State Police searched the school using two explosive-detecting police dogs. No explosives were found.
Police charged the unidentified teenager with Class C terrorizing. He was released to the custody of his parents after a consultation with a juvenile community corrections officer.
“In this instance (and others like it), threats of violence are not considered jokes or pranks and are never taken lightly. These actions are criminal acts, which are frightening to students, school staff and parents,” Lt. Donald Foss said in a statement.
The case will be referred to the juvenile division of the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office and also to Juvenile Community Corrections, which is part of the state corrections department.
Since the Valentine’s Day school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 students and teachers, there have been more than a dozen threats against Maine schools. More than 10 teenagers have been charged in connection with those threats.
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