U.S. Attorney for Maine warns against complacency after active shooter hoax

Anxious parents mill about while waiting for their children to arrive at Sanford Memorial Gym on Tuesday. (Rochester Voice photos)

SANFORD, Maine - Following a harrowing day after a hoax active shooter call put Sanford High on lockdown and drew hundreds of law enforcement personnel to the school and Memorial Gym, the city's high school and Sanford Regional Technical Center remained closed today.

Meanwhile, the U.S. attorney for the District of Maine warned against complacency following the 10 hoax active shooter calls that sent 10 Maine high schools into panic mode around 8:20 a.m. on Tuesday. Sanford's active shooter hoax was the first. Other occurred in Belfast, Portland and Gardiner.

"Hoax threats disrupt school, waste law enforcement resources, and put first responders in unnecessary danger while causing emotional distress to entire communities, including students, school personnel, and parents," U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee said in a Tuesday afternoon press release. "It's also a serious federal crime. Those who post or send these threats can receive time in federal prison and could also face state or local charges."

A caravan of buses roll down Main Street in Sanford getting ready to drop off more than 1,000 students after an active shooter hoax at Sanford High on Tuesday morning.

McElwee warned that an unfortunate consequence of hoaxes like what happened in Sanford can make people question the validity of future threats.

"It is vital that we all remain vigilant," she said. "If you see or hear something, notify authorities to give them the opportunity to investigate but avoid spreading unsubstantiated rumors which can spread misinformation and cause panic."

That's what happened at Memorial Gym Tuesday morning as parents were waiting to pick up their children. The Rochester Voice spoke to many parents who were distraught after reading and hearing about widely circulated posts on social media that said two adult males had carried out the shooting and five students had been gravely injured, both of which proved to be false.

The Rochester Voice was on hand at the gym for about an hour along with hundreds of parents who were told nothing by law enforcement who were guarding the school, some with automatic rifles.

Once the buses transporting students from the high school to Memorial Gym started rolling by parents began taking a sigh of relief.

MSAD 60 schools did not go into lockdown, personnel at the superintendent's office in North Berwick said today.