Maine Man Accused Of Threatening Portsmouth High School; Arrested In Maine

PORTSMOUTH, NH — A man from Maine has been arrested after being accused of threatening to shoot up Portsmouth High School.

Around 6 p.m. on Wednesday, police received a tip regarding “a concerning video” against the school. The video depicted a male in a vehicle in front of Portsmouth High School with a gun, police said.

“The message on the video said, ‘Imma gonna shoot up the school,’” according to police.

Out of an abundance of caution, classes were canceled Thursday, a decision agreed to by police and the superintendent of schools.

Police worked the case and identified the man in the video — Kyle Hendrickson, 25.

“Hendrickson is known to frequent the seacoast area and southern Maine,” police said, adding criminal charges were forthcoming.

Around 2 p.m. Thursday, he was arrested in Portland, Maine, with the help of police and the BATF, on a felony criminal threatening with a firearm charge.

“We would like to thank Portland, Maine, Police, the F.B.I., A.T.F., and the Portsmouth School District for their assistance and cooperation,” police said. “The impact of closing schools today was not taken lightly, but this allowed the police department to focus on the investigation to identify and locate the suspect. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and patience as we worked to keep the school community safe.”

According to superior court records, Hendrickson was arrested on several second-degree assault and vehicular assault charges in December 2020 after an incident in Rochester in March of that year. He pleaded guilty to five vehicular assault charges, all misdemeanors, in April 2021 and was sentenced to a year in prison, all suspended for two years. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $100,000 and not to have any contact with a woman. Two months later, the sentence was amended. In September 2022, the case was reopened due to a violation of a court order. In January, a hearing was held.

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