A 13-year-old Jefferson boy was issued a summons for allegedly terrorizing another 13-year-old boy Jan. 20, according to Lincoln County Sheriff’s Lt. Rand Maker.
Maker declined to share the nature of the alleged threat, but said, “We had probable cause to believe he had committed the offense of terrorizing (class D) and we summonsed him and contacted the community corrections workers that deal with juveniles and they’re dealing with it at this point.”
According to Maine statute, a person is guilty of class D terrorizing if they communicate “to any person a threat to commit or to cause to be committed a crime of violence dangerous to human life” and the natural and probable consequence, whether or not the consequence occurs, is to “place the person to whom the threat is communicated or the person threatened in reasonable fear that the crime will be committed.”
Both boys are students at Jefferson Village School, but Maker was clear the alleged terrorizing did not occur there.
“This is all at home, through the internet,” Maker said.
Deputies did visit the school the next morning, Jan. 21, but only to inform the school principal, Peter Gallace, about what allegedly occurred in case both boys end up back at the school together, Maker said.
The alleged threat between the two boys and a concern about a 34-year-old female from Gardiner coming to Jefferson Village School to confront students involved in the conflict prompted a heightened level of security at the school.
On Jan. 21, “we were extra careful, I would say, at the front doors, out to recess,” said Gallace. “I went out to recess just to make sure things were okay with that situation.”
According to Gallace, the school normally has all its side entrances and the inner front entrance doors locked during the day. The outer front entrance doors were locked as well on Jan. 21, but classrooms were not locked and the school was not in a lockdown, he said.
“We would have had a lockdown if we felt there was a credible threat, but according to the police, there really wasn’t,” Gallace said. “You never know what people will do, so we just felt it was prudent to be extra careful.”
Deputies from the sheriff’s office did follow up on the issue with the woman and she was warned against coming to the school, according to Maker.
“After talking with the school and talking with the person involved from Gardiner, there had been no crime, but we did tell her that she was not to come upon the property of the school in Jefferson,” Maker said.
“If she did, she would be arrested for criminal trespassing.”