Maine man accused in Portsmouth High threat case to be arraigned today

Kyle Hendrickson (Police mugshot)

CONCORD - The Maine man charged with threatening to shoot up Portsmouth High School makes his initial appearance in federal court today at 3 p.m., .according to U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young.

Kyle Hendrickson, 25, of Portland, stands charged with transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to injure the person of another on April 14. He was arrested on April 13, on state charges, and transferred into federal custody this morning.

According to the charging documents, Hendrickson posted a video to his SnapChat account on Wednesday in which he brandished a handgun while in a vehicle outside of Portsmouth High School. The video includes a text overlay that reads "imma shoot up the school."

School surveillance footage placed Hendrickson's vehicle outside the high school at the time of the video. Law enforcement recovered an AR-15 rifle, a shotgun, camouflage body armor, a handgun holster, a red-dot sight, and numerous rounds of ammunition from Hendrickson's vehicle. A handgun that resembles the one used in the SnapChat video was also recovered near a motel where Hendrickson had stayed on WEdnesday.

The charge provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

The FBI Boston Division, and the Portsmouth Police Department led the investigation. The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Somersworth Police Department, the Portland (Maine) Police Department, and the Berwick (Maine) Police Department provided valuable assistance.