Maine Man Sentenced to 37 Months in Federal Prison For Threatening Portsmouth High School

CONCORD - A Maine man was sentenced today in federal court in Concord for an online threat he made to the Portsmouth High School on April 12, 2023, and a related firearm charge, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.

Kyle Hendrickson, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Samantha Elliott to 37 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release. A restitution hearing has been scheduled for August 12, 2024. On December 11, 2023, Hendrickson pleaded guilty to one count of interstate threatening communications and one count of possessing a firearm in a school zone.

"The defendant's threat to 'shoot up' the Portsmouth High School sent a terrifying chill throughout the Portsmouth community," said U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young. "I commend the FBI, the Portsmouth Police Department, the Portland Maine Police Department, the ATF, and all of our other law enforcement partners who did an excellent job in quickly locating and arresting Mr. Hendrickson to mitigate the threat and allow students to return to school. Threats to commit violence have no place in our society and those who make such threats will swiftly be brought to justice."

"On behalf of the City of Portsmouth and the members of the Portsmouth Police Department, we would like to thank the U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI, the Portland Maine Police Department, and all other law enforcement participants who assisted with the apprehension of Kyle Hendrickson," said Chief Mark Newport of the Portsmouth Police Department. "His careless actions victimized our community, causing school to be canceled until we could assure our community that there was no longer a threat, and the students could safely return to school. Our community and department have zero tolerance for such actions. We have used all available resources to bring forward the appropriate criminal charges to hold Mr. Hendrickson accountable for his actions."

"The danger posed by Kyle Hendrickson in this case was very real. He not only threatened to commit a mass shooting at Portsmouth High School, but he had the means to do it, illustrated by the AR-15 rifle, shotgun, and body armor that we recovered inside his vehicle," said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Boston Division. "Today's sentencing sends a clear message - regardless of motivation, when someone is intent on conduct that may lead to violence and breaks federal law, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will move swiftly to bring them to justice. This type of behavior puts our entire community in danger, and simply put, we will not let it go unaddressed."

Hendrickson posted a video to his SnapChat account on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in which he brandished a handgun while in a vehicle outside of the 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 later 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. The handgun that Hendrickson used in the SnapChat video was also recovered near a motel where Hendrickson had stayed in Maine on the night of April 12, 2023.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, 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. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau prosecuted the case.

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