MVHS teen accused of whacking middle-school boy with bat

RUMFORD — Police on Tuesday night accused a 14-year-old Mountain Valley High School student of whacking a 12-year-old middle school student in the stomach with a baseball bat on Prospect Avenue.

Cpl. Douglas Maifeld charged the Rumford boy with aggravated assault because a dangerous weapon was used. The teen, whom Maifeld said has a history of domestic violence, was taken to the Long Creek juvenile detention center in Portland. He will be arraigned Jan. 5 in Rumford Juvenile Court.

The younger boy, also of Rumford, was taken to Rumford Hospital by his mother for treatment, Maifeld said.

Police learned about the confrontation at 5:50 p.m. when the 12-year-old's mother called to say her son had been assaulted with a baseball bat wielded by an older boy.

Maifeld said Tuesday night's confrontation was preceded last week by a threatening e-mail that the older boy sent to the younger boy via the high school's e-mail system. The 12-year-old is a student at Mountain Valley Middle School in Mexico.

School officials learned of it and disciplined the 14-year-old, Maifeld said.

Rumford police were also asked to investigate the implied threat of an assault, but after doing so, they didn't find any evidence that the younger boy was in imminent danger, Maifeld said.

After the attack, police went to the hospital to talk with the 12-year-old, whom Maifeld said had a red mark from the bat on his abdomen.

Then, after interviewing witnesses, police arrested and charged the older boy.