LEWISTON — The writer of a threatening post about Lewiston High School has been identified as a 10-year-old from the Midwest, according to education authorities. The minor was identified through efforts by law enforcement authorities, school administrators and staff.
“Through this collaborative effort, unique knowledge of students, systems, and law enforcement strategies, the origin of the messaging was identified,” Lewiston Superintendent Jake Langlais said in a statement Monday. “We worked with authorities at that location to examine the threat, threat potential, and follow through, with safety being our first effort.”
On Sunday night, Langlais posted an alert on the district’s website saying someone had posted a threat on social media. He did not elaborate on the type of threat, but said school officials were working with law enforcement to identify the sources of the threat.
“Hello, we are reaching out to let you know that a screenshot with threatening language toward LHS has been reposted and brought to our attention. We are working with law enforcement actively on this. Thank you to all who have made us aware of the situation. We will provide updates.”
Monday morning, Langlais posted an update saying the individual responsible for the post had been identified.
“Our apologies for early messaging. The individual responsible for making and sending the message that was threatening to LHS last night has been identified. Law enforcement has made contact and the situation has been taken care of. We want to thank those who reported the message and Lewiston Police Department for their assistance.”
He later elaborated that the individual was a 10-year-old boy from the Midwest.
School was not closed Monday and was operating on its normal schedule.
Several people posted on social media over the weekend expressing concerns. One parent stated on Facebook they kept their high schoolers home Monday because they wanted more of an explanation from school officials.
In his initial email to the Sun Journal, Langlais said that, as a parent, he appreciates parents taking a safe approach, and that he himself would have planned accordingly if he had different information or a lack of information about the incident.
In his message to the community Langlais noted: “We are not always at liberty to share information due to legal protections, ongoing investigations and other factors, but please know that safety is what we do first. We want to thank those who reported it, the administration that helped with information throughout the night, and LPD for helping resolve the reported threat.”
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