Threats Send Maine Schools Into Lockdown Wednesday Morning, Sheriffs Say

Schools in the Old Town, Orono, Brewer, Winslow and even Houlton area were placed in lockdown temporarily Wednesday morning.

The first incident began just as school started for the day at 8 AM in Old Town. Old Town Police say were originally sent to the Old Town Elementary School by Penobscot RCC dispatchers who had taken a call stating that someone was on the school grounds "carrying a firearm and threatening to harm others."

Other units headed to the Old Town High School and the Old Town Library, after subsequent similar calls were made.

The Penobscot County Sheriff's Department says they were called into assist shortly after that.

"Old Town Police initiated a call for assistance concerning a potential critical incident at Old Town Elementary School. In response, the Sheriff’s Office, alongside multiple agencies, swiftly mobilized to the scene while gathering crucial information. Our team, together with the Maine State Police and local agencies, effectively coordinated resources to support the Old Town Police and School, prioritizing the safety of the students, school officials, and the community. The primary objective remained clear: ensuring the well-being of everyone involved."

Old Town parents were sent a notice by the RSU 34 administration. And while rumors about the exact cause swirled around, school officials were quick to pass along that authorities did not believe that anyone's safety was at risk.

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"Law enforcement has deemed the threat to be non-credible and continues to investigate its source. We are lifting the lockdown and returning to our schedule. We understand this experience can be upsetting for families and will allow students to be dismissed using normal dismissal routines."

There was increased police presence at many schools around the state in the morning hours. The University of Maine issued a "Shelter In Place" order which was later lifted.

Similar reports started to pop up in other schools across the state.

Winslow Superintendent, Peter Thiboutot sent out a notice to parents that the secretary at the Winslow Elementary School got a phone call just after 8 AM from a person making threatening remarks prompting school officials to put the local schools on lockdown for a time.

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Parents in Brewer received a notice from Brewer Superintendent Gregg Palmer, stating that officials initially thought there was a threat, and acted accordingly, closing up the school, but eventually lifted the preventative measures, with things returning to "normal" following the incident.

According to the Brewer Police Department, they believe the threat was part of a state-wide "Swatting" incident, and while the threat was deemed to ultimately be unsubstantiated, tensions rose for a short while when a member of the public tried to interfere with the situation.

"...The Brewer Police Department assisted another law enforcement agency investigating a threat in which an individual had communicated an intent to kill school staff and others. Information provided to police identified a person of interest, a male believed to reside in Brewer...During this operation, a woman (not involved with the matter at hand) deliberately drove to the scene and interfered with police activity by repeatedly sounding an air horn, refusing lawful orders to leave, and yelling at expletives at officers. The woman stated that she “didn’t want ICE” in her neighborhood. Her actions interfered with legitimate law enforcement operations and created a real risk to the investigating officers."
Brewer Police say they did end up locating the person of interest and were able to confirm that person was not the one who called in the threat.

Brewer parents were later alerted of the situation, and that students were safe after all.

"This morning Brewer High School received notification that a lockdown was needed due to an event out in the community. However, it soon became known that any disturbance was not in our immediate area and so no safety protocol was necessary in any of our Brewer schools...Everyone is safe, and there is no disturbance in our area about which to be concerned."

Other area schools were advised to remain vigilant and consider keeping kids inside for the day.

State Police have been assisting local law enforcement officers throughout the state with the issue of these threats.

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Many schools have opted to keep law enforcement and counselors on hand for the day, to help ease any anxieties students or staff may have.

Law enforcement officials are still looking into the matter.

We will update this story as more information becomes available.