FARMINGTON — A Mt. Blue High School student and two Mt. Blue Middle School students are facing terrorizing charges in connection with a 13-year-old student who threatened Tuesday “to shoot up the school.”
Police issued summonses Wednesday to a 12-year-old boy from Farmington and a 14-year-old boy from Chesterville on charges of terrorizing, according to Regional School Unit 9 Resource Officer Bridgette Gilbert.
A group of children was talking at the middle school Wednesday, during which a couple of students indicated they would have helped the 13-year-old had he followed through on his threat, Farmington Deputy Police Chief Shane Cote said Thursday.
Meantime, a 15-year-old Industry boy accused of communicating a threat on a school bus Wednesday has been arrested, also on a charge of terrorizing, Franklin County Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr. said Thursday.
The call initially went to Farmington Police Department but when it was learned it was in Industry, the information was turned over to the Sheriff’s Office.
Sgt. Matthew Brann and Deputy Brian McCormick took the student into custody and met with the boy’s parent and Juvenile Communications Corrections Officer Joan Dawson at her office in Farmington, Nichols said.
Following that meeting, the student was released with conditions to his parent, Nichols said.
A boy, 13, of Farmington was arrested Tuesday after a teacher overheard him threaten to “shoot up the school,” according to school and police officials. The teacher told the principal, who then talked to the student.
The incident happened at the end of the school day. A guardian picked up the student.
Farmington police were contacted and Gilbert, a Farmington police officer, and Cote went to the guardian’s home to talk to the student and guardian.
He was released on conditions to a guardian. He is on house arrest and only allowed out if an adult is with him, Cote said.
The student was suspended from school for 10 days and was to undergo a risk assessment, Superintendent Tom Ward said Tuesday.
In the semi-related cases, the two middle school students were each suspended for five days, Ward said. The high school student was suspended for 10 days, he said.
Officials could make out what was being said on the surveillance video recording system on the bus, he said. He declined to say what the threat was.
The cases will be handled in Juvenile Court.
Ward posted a message Wednesday on the district’s website (www.mtbluersd.org) and notified parents that district representatives have been meeting with staff and students, emphasizing that “we want any and all comments/threats reported, regardless of how serious they think they are.”
That message reads: “We have been getting great cooperation. As a result we have been following up with police on each concern and the result has led to two students receiving summons and a third being arrested. None of these were considered to be an immediate (imminent) danger. So, there was no need to take any action in the school day.
“Our goal is to make students aware that you have to be careful what you say. Using the excuse that you were joking or didn’t mean it is not acceptable. Please know that student, school and staff safety are of the utmost priority at all times.”
dperry@sunmediagroup.net
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