A judge sentenced a South Portland teenager to one year of probation less than a month after he was found guilty of arson but acquitted on charges of plotting to shoot up his school.

District Judge Peter Darvin in Cumberland County Court in 2022. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

If the 17-year-old violates his probation he could be sent to Long Creek Youth Development Center until his 19th birthday, Judge Peter Darvin ruled Thursday.

The hearing in Cumberland County Juvenile Court ended a long and sometimes controversial criminal case that generated significant community interest.

In explaining his decision, Darvin said the state’s juvenile code heavily favors rehabilitation over punishment, but he still sought to strike a balance that recognized the gravity of the arson charge, which is a Class A crime.

The teenager was arrested in April 2023, after he was reported for trying to recruit classmates to carry out a school shooting. During a search of his home, detectives seized several high-powered rifles and later found Nazi flags, white supremacist memorabilia and ballistic military gear.

Prosecutors later charged him with one count of solicitation of murder and then added a charge of arson after they obtained video footage of him accidentally setting his arm on fire with a Molotov cocktail at Wainwright Field while wearing camouflage gear often worn by hunters or military personnel.

The case went to trial in juvenile court in June and featured testimony from classmates and others who detailed behavior that included glorifying the gunmen in the 1999 Columbine school shooting and burning Pride flags.

In juvenile court, there are no juries, so the decision rested with Darvin, who found there was not enough evidence that the teenager tried to recruit others in a mass shooting plot. Darvin did, however, find him guilty of the arson charge.

Assistant District Attorney Abby Couture had recommended two years of probation, with the possibility that he be sent to Long Creek until his 21st birthday if any violations occur. Defense attorney Amber Miller said her client didn’t need probation because he has paid a price for his actions – he spent 21 days in Long Creek after his arrest and has effectively been on house arrest for the last 16 months.

In recommending a longer period of probation, Couture said the teenager and his family have never fully taken responsibility for what happened and have instead “maintained that they are the victims.”

Neither Couture nor Miller would answer questions after the sentencing on Thursday.

The teenager and his parents also elected not to speak in court Thursday and walked out of the courthouse quickly after the court was adjourned. Miller referenced a letter the teen had written to the court, expressing some remorse, but declined to provide a reporter with a copy.

Darvin closed the hearing by saying that he didn’t consider the juvenile to be a victim in the ordeal, but he also expressed sympathy for how publicly the case has played out.