In Maine, a 14-year-old Windham High School student accused of creating a hit list of people he is targeting while researching how to get weapons!
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Episode Transcript
Crime rd hourly update, Breaking crime News Now. I'm Dave Mack.
A fourteen year old main boy was arrested just before
the holiday break, police saying he had drawn up a
hit list and was plotting to harm classmates. Many parents
opted to keep their children home from school on Friday
when a holiday assembly was planned. After the Wyndham High
(00:21):
School freshman was sent home on house arrest, another student
alerted police to his behavior Monday night. The boy was
arrested on Tuesday and charged with criminal solicitation, criminal conspiracy
and terrorizing. Police said the boy created a list of
people he planned to target and used as school issued
laptop to search how to purchase a gun. Another student
(00:41):
saw the search and contacted police. Gina Castopolos kept all
four of her children home on Friday.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
So unsettling. It just doesn't seem appropriate in this instance.
So many things have been happening for us to give
somebody a slap on the rest and say, hey, you
can just stay at home under your parents' supervision, that's
not enough.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Wyndham Police Chief Kevin Schofield, however, said there was no
current threat to the school or it's students. Superintendent Christopher
Howell expressed his confidence in Windham PD's investigation.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
There isn't any danger to students win a police department who,
first of all have been great, They've been great partners
with us, but have assured us that through their investigation,
they are more than confident for that it is safe
for us to be in school and for us to
continue on with all of our regular programming.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Schofield said that investigators don't believe the teen bought a weapon.
Those students who did attend on Friday saw a heavy
police presence outside the school. A fourteen year old main
boy was arrested just before the holiday break, police saying
he had drawn up a hit list and was plotting
to harm classmates. Many parents opted to keep their children
home from school on Friday, when a holiday assembly was planned.
(01:51):
After the Wyndham High School freshman was sent home on
house arrest, another student alerted police to his behavior Monday night.
The boy was arrested on Tuesday and charge with criminal solicitation,
criminal conspiracy, and terrorizing. Police said the boy created a
list of people he planned to target and used as
school issued laptop to search how to purchase a gun.
(02:11):
Another student saw the search and contacted police Gina Castopolos
kept all four of her children home on Friday.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
So unsettling. It just doesn't seem appropriate in this instance.
So many things have been happening for us to give
somebody a slap on the rest and say, hey, you
can just stay at home under your parents' supervision, that's
not enough.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Windham Police Chief Kevin Schofield, however, said there was no
current threat to the school or it's students. Superintendent Christopher
Howell expressed his confidence in win empd's investigation.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
There isn't any danger to students when a police department
who first of all have been great, They've been great
partners with us, but have assured us that through their investigation,
they are more than confident that it is safe for
us to be in school and for us to continue
on with all of our regular programming.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Schofield said that in investigators don't believe their team bought
a weapon. Those students who did attend on Friday saw
a heavy police presence outside of the school. Federal authorities
annouced last week they rescued forty three children in time
(03:21):
for the holidays, some younger than two, following a twelve
day operation focused in Florida, but spanning several nearby states,
the US Marshall Service, and between their agents and officers
from twenty five other agencies. Eighty personnel were dedicated to
locating children during Operation Northern Lights, which was conducted from
December first to December twelfth. The mission focused on finding
(03:43):
critically missing children and providing them with immediate care and
protection from exploitation. Operation Northern Lights includes a comprehensive multidisciplinary
task force of federal, state, and local government agencies, plus
social services, the medical community, and non government mintal organizations.
Operational planning and coordination led to the institution of a
(04:04):
two week initiative geared to recover and safely locate community's
most critically missing youth, and an issue of this magnitude
has not been undertaken in northern Florida until this month.
In addition to Florida, authorities located children in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Some of the rescued children include a one year old
from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a seventeen year old and a
(04:25):
one year old from Okhusa County recovered near Jackson, Mississippi.
A fifteen year old abducted by a non custodial adult
found in Ocala, with the suspect arrested, and a thirteen
year old who had been missing since April now. One
example they shared is of a thirteen year old girl
who had been missing for eight months of Swan County.
During that period of missing, investigators believe she had been
(04:48):
transported through multiple states. Teams worked tirelessly on the case
and were able to successfully and safely locate and recover
her in Jacksonville, Florida. During the operation, said nine arrests
were made, mostly for custodial interference, but further charges are
still pending, including several trafficking cases. Forty three children were
(05:09):
located during the operation is a twelve day operation. Some
of the kids where infants and toddlers, all are now safe.
The recovered children receive medical care, food, shelter, and counseling
immediately after being found. Child advocates were on hand to
help with emotional recovery and ensure long term safety. It
was a very successful missing child operation, the biggest ever
(05:33):
undertaken in Northern Florida, and forty three endangered children are
now home for the holidays. For the latest crime and
justice breaking news. Be sure to follow the Crime Alert
hourly update on your favorite podcast app With this crime Alert,
I'm Dave, Matt
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Nancy Grace
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