JAY — A lockdown at Spruce Mountain middle and high schools was lifted later Friday morning after another threatening note was found and 13-year-old girl was charged with terrorizing, officials said.
A threatening note was also found Thursday in a bathroom at the middle school.
“The police have found the suspect and are dealing with them appropriately,” Superintendent Scott Albert wrote in an email around 10:30 a.m. regarding the incident on Friday. “We are out of lockdown at both the middle school and high schools and we will continue with our day.”
The girl is a student at the middle school, which is connected to the high school on Community Drive.
Officials did not disclose the contents of the note nor where it was found.
The girl was taken into custody and charged with terrorizing, Jay Police Chief Richard Caton IV wrote in an email. She was released to a guardian, with conditions, and is under house arrest, Caton said later. The case will go to the juvenile court system, he said.
“The most important thing to remember is that we kept our kids safe,” Albert said in an automated notice sent Friday afternoon. “We were able to do so by following our safety protocols and working as a team with our (school resource officer and the Jay Police Department). Also because of our team work, we were able to find today’s suspect.”
Just before 9 a.m., Albert sent an automated notice, saying, “Out of an abundance of caution, the middle school and high schools are in lockdown based on a note that was found. Our (school resource officer) and (Jay Police Department) are already in the the buildings. We will update once we get more information.”
The fifth grade drama program from the elementary school was at the middle school at the time, a parent told the Sun Journal in a phone call a few minutes after the announcement. They were preparing to perform the play “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.”
“We do not believe at this time the two incidences from the past two days are directly related,” Albert’s notice continued.
On Thursday, a threatening note was found in a bathroom stall at the middle school. All district students were released, the Maine State Police Bomb Squad with four bomb-sniffing dogs searched the building and determined the note was a hoax. Jay Police and school resource officer Joe Sage were also on site.
The fifth grade play was postponed until Friday night.
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