Augusta police issued a summons Thursday to a 15-year-old Cony High School student after a bomb threat was made at the school, according to a police department news release.

Police said the threat was “communicated through a hand-written note on the school property” a little after 7 a.m. The school was evacuated as a precaution, but a police officer stationed at the school and detectives quickly identified the suspect.

Cony High School in Augusta was evacuated Thursday after a bomb threat was received. 2015 Kennebec Journal File Photo/Joe Phelan

After the summons was issued, the student was turned over to his or her parents, according to police.

Detectives are still investigating bomb threats made at Cony at the end of last school year. The threats occurred June 2, 8, and 9, with two of them being conveyed in bathroom stalls in both the boys’ and girls’ bathrooms. A third threat, which mentioned a bomb and a shooter, was written in a note.

After parents expressed concern about how the school district was handling the threats, Superintendent James Anastasio and Cony Principal Kim Silsby held a community forum.

District Attorney Maeghan Maloney said last month that she wants to work with state legislators to strengthen state laws when it comes to prosecuting cases involving school bomb threats.

Bomb threat suspects are charged under terrorizing statutes. Threats that lead to an evacuation rise to the level of a Class C felony, which not only carries a potential penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, but also brings with it longer-lasting effects, such as the prohibition against ever owning a firearm or preclusion from certain careers.

Under state law, if the building is not evacuated, the maximum penalty is a Class D misdemeanor, which carries a maximum penalty of 364 days in jail and a $2,000 fine with no accompanying long-term consequences.

This story will be updated.

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