AUGUSTA — No charges are being filed against the Cony High School student who posted a photo of a rifle with “concerning words,” on social media, officials said.
Augusta police and the district attorney for Kennebec County, Maeghan Maloney, said they are not pursuing charges because the image posted on Snapchat in April did not contain a direct threat to the high school or its students and staff.
The photo showed a person’s hand on a rifle with the words “Finna shoot this (expletive) tmr,” and a red blood drop emoji and prompted an increased police presence at the school.
The decision not to charge the student comes weeks after three people were charged with terrorizing after allegedly making threats to schools in Waterville and Skowhegan over email and social media in two separate incidents.
“Based on the information my office has received from law enforcement, there was no threat made to Cony High School or any student at Cony High School,” said Maloney, who is also the district attorney for Somerset County. “Therefore, unlike other terrorizing charges, there was no probable threat to commit a crime of violence dangerous to human life.”
She said there was also no victim.
Cony High School Principal Kimberly Liscomb did not specify whether the student is facing disciplinary action from the school.
“There is no new information to share at this time,” she said when asked if the student had been suspended or expelled and whether officials took any other action.
The high school at 60 Pierce Drive shares a campus with Cony Middle School, where about 1,000 students are enrolled between both schools.
Officials previously said the student was not in the continental United States when they made the post.
The Augusta Police Department is continuing to investigate the matter.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include a comment from Cony High School Principal Kimberly Liscomb.
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