A 14-year-old Maine boy was arrested this week after police said he had drawn up a hit list and was plotting to harm classmates.
Many parents opted to keep their children home from school on Friday — when a holiday assmbly was planned on the last day of school before winter break — after the Windham High School freshman was sent home on house arrest, WMTW reported.
The boy’s arrest was prompted after another student spoke out about concerns about him Monday night. The boy was arrested on Tuesday and charged with criminal solicitation, criminal conspiracy, and terrorizing.
Police said the boy created a list of people he planned to target and used a school-issued laptop to search how to purchase a gun. Another student saw the search and contacted police.
Gina Kostopoulos kept all four of her children home on Friday.
“So unsettling. It just doesn’t seem appropriate in this instance. So many things have been happening for us to give somebody a slap on the wrist and say hey you can just stay at home under your parents’ supervision, that’s not enough,” she said.
Police, however, said there was no current threat to the school or its students.
Windham police told the school district there is no current threat to the school or its students.
“We have no reason to believe there are additional threats or that any students, staff or school occupants are in danger,” Windham Police Chief Kevin Schofield told WGME. The police department extends its gratitude to the students who promptly reported this matter; their actions were instrumental in ensuring the safety and security of everyone within this high school community,” Windham Police Chief Kevin Schofield said.
“There isn’t any danger to students,” Superintendent Christopher Howell told WMTW. “First of all, the Windham police department has been great, great partners with us but have assured us that through their investigation they are more than confident that is it safe for us to be in school and for us to continue on with all of our regular programming.”
Schofield said that investigators don’t believe the teen bought a weapon, WCSH reported.
Those student who did attend on Friday saw a heavy police presence outside the school.
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[Featured image: Windham High School/Google Maps]
