SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — A boy in South Portland was taken into police custody Thursday for violating conditions of his release, South Portland police said Friday in a news release. He appeared in court Friday.
The boy, whose name is not being released by South Portland police or NEWS CENTER Maine because he is a minor, has been accused of making threats in April that included South Portland High School as a target. He was charged with terrorizing, criminal solicitation, and arson.
The minor was charged and detained in April but was released by court order with "certain conditions, which he has since violated," the release stated.
He is currently being held at Long Creek Youth Development Center and appeared in court Friday for a detention hearing, which was made open to the public. Only parts of the case were open to the public in order to protect the boy's future.
Following the detention hearing at Cumberland County District Court in Portland, it was stated the boy violated conditions of his release by being in possession of a second phone and communicating with others on that device.
The unmonitored content of the communications was taken seriously as a threat, a state attorney said at the hearing, adding that the communications reportedly began in August. Officials were already tracking his private phone. In response, the state wished for a repercussion of detainment.
However, the minor's attorney argued the unmonitored communications are not a threat and are merely just a "lonely kid trying to reach out to his friends."
At the hearing, a witness testified of the boy's cooperative behavior. Defendants didn't deny there was a violation but emphasized the boy, who has been very compliant, made a mistake.
The boy's parents spoke about how proud they are of their son in facing his situation of "ostracization" from society.
Following these statements, the judge stated without seeing screenshots of messages sent by the boy he can't speak in detail and requested a continuance of the boy's detainment with right of release until another hearing scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
The judge also emphasized to the media present at Friday's hearing there is no threat to the public, residents of South Portland, or South Portland schools.
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