One teen nabbed in bomb threat back in school

NORTH BERWICK, Maine - While both Berwick teens arrested in a Noble High School bomb threat case earlier this month still face up to five years in jail for felony terrorizing, one of the teens is back attending school with no action taken by the district after the case was discussed by the MSAD 60 school board on Jan. 22.

While one teen was expelled the administration took no action on the other.

The students arrested are ages 17 and 15, but the age of the student expelled was not clear this afternoon while checking at district headquarters.

What is clear is that both teens still face the full brunt of Maine criminal law, according to North Berwick Police Chief Stephen Peasley, who added that police may have more information than school officials regarding the alleged crimes.

Peasley said police and school officials would not normally share information due to privacy concerns for the students, both still considered minors in Maine.

The two teens are accused of posting a threat to set off a bomb at the school on Jan. 13 on social media, a post seen by several students early the next day, forcing the shutdown after MSAD 60 Supt. Steven Connolly termed the threat "credible."

During an executive session at the Jan. 22 school board meeting, board members were expected to hear evidence against the pair and, much like a jury, be able to vote on a variety of punitive options, up to and including expulsion.

"Students who terrorize the school community through bomb scares will typically face the full force of school sanctions, including expulsion," Connolly said last week prior to the school board meeting.

The Twitter page on which the threatening post was uploaded has been taken down.

Since the bomb scare, Twitter bomb threats have caused more than a dozen airline flights to be disrupted. No explosives were found on any of the aircrafts forced into the impromptu landings.