Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the threats that have shut down Windham and Raymond schools since Monday.

The superintendent, Sandy Prince, announced the arrest this morning. Windham police have scheduled a news conference for 11 a.m. in the high school auditorium.

The suspect was arrested last night and is a teenage juvenile, according to multiple law enforcement sources. It was not immediately clear what connection the suspect has to the district.

Police were meeting with school officials from the Windham and Raymond school district Wednesday morning. Windham Police Chief Richard Lewsen declined to release any further details about the investigation early Wednesday.

Police had received no details about the contents of the two threatening emails received by school officials Monday morning. They were only described as “alarming” and not specific about which school was targeted, leading the unusual shutdown of the entire district.

All 3,300 pupils were sent home Monday morning and parents have had to scramble for child care or take time off of work while the investigation continued. The abrupt closure of all schools in both towns on Monday morning, and the extended closures Tuesday and Wednesday, had many in the two communities mystified and concerned.

Advertisement

At Danielle’s Sebago Diner in Windham early Wednesday morning, waitress Kaitlynne Morse served customers including grandparents dining with young grandchildren who are out of school.

Morse, who graduated last year from Bonny Eagle High School, said many of the teens she knows in Windham have been talking about the threats. Many of them think it’s a joke, she said. Some others are nervous, Morse said, something she can relate to because her high school experienced a series of bomb threats.

Jennifer Pooler of Windham brought her 8-year-old son out for breakfast before heading back home to work. She said she’s lucky to be able to work from home and feels bad for families that have had to scramble to find childcare.

“Three thousand kids out of school – I can’t even imagine how much that has cost the community,” she said.

Pooler said her son, Alex, a third-grader, knows there were threatening letters, but he’s not aware of violent acts at other schools. “It can be very frightening for them,” she said.

This story will be updated.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.