FARMINGTON -A judge Friday ordered a Jay man to stay away from Western Maine Christian Academy in Wilton after he was accused of threatening to harm schoolchildren and staff at the school.

School officials at the prekindergarten-through-12th grade school of 26 pupils put the school in lockdown and increased security when they learned of the threats.

12th District Court Judge Ralph Tucker set bail for Ricky Merchant, 47, of Macomber Hill Road at $2,000 unsecured bail with several conditions.

Merchant was arrested Thursday on a charge of terrorizing after Jay police executed a warrant granted to Wilton Police Chief Wayne Gallant.

Tucker told Merchant he needed to fill out a form to get a court-appointed attorney and explained in detail his release conditions after Assistant District Attorney Andrew Robinson said Merchant’s guardian said there may be some competency issues.

Tucker asked Merchant if he could read and write, Merchant answered, “not very well.”

Merchant also said, “I’m just feeling someone is trying to get me in trouble.”

Robinson told the judge that substance abuse played a major role in the incident and requested that one of the conditions of release be no use or possession of alcohol.

Merchant’s release conditions include no possession or use of alcohol, no possession or use of dangerous weapons, that he obey his Maine Department of Health and Human Services’ guardian and that he be subject to random search for both alcohol and weapons and not to go near the school or witnesses.

Jay police confiscated six firearms from Merchant’s residence for safekeeping, Jay Police Chief Larry White Sr. said Friday.

Wilton police received information Wednesday that threats had been made against the school on Monday by a Jay man, Gallant said Friday.

The threats were made by phone to a Jay man who has children enrolled at the academy. The parent then reported the threats to a school administrator and she called police.

Gallant said he took the threats very seriously and acted upon them.

“This is serious,” he said, with everything going on around the country with schools.

“We’re dealing with safety in schools,” he said. “Threats like that cannot be made nowadays . . . and if so, we in law enforcement certainly will be acting upon those. We have a duty to protect society and threats like that cannot be tolerated.”

Gallant said both Wilton police and Jay worked together to get information and bring Merchant into custody without incident.

Gallant’s affidavit filed with the court stated Merchant communicated a threat to close and destroy the school, and if the police came after him he would take a few people with him.

It also states that Merchant told the Jay resident that no police would escape from him like they did with Burhoe. He was referring to the June 6 shooting in Jay where William Burhoe, who also lives on Macomber Hill Road, shot at a Maine State Police trooper with a rifle nearly striking a trooper, the affidavit states.

Trooper Randy Keaten ended the confrontation by shooting Burhoe, 51, in the leg at his home, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland said at the time. Burhoe was charged with aggravated attempted murder and reckless conduct.

Merchant told the Jay resident that “he was tired of people like him and others that think they are better than other people and send their children to private schools,” the affidavit states.

School Administrator Cynthia Thomas said once she heard about the threats she notified police. She put the school in a level one lockdown and heightened security.

“We followed the security plan we have in place and made a decision to increase security,” she said Friday.