South Portland High School was locked down on Friday morning after a juvenile was seen outside the school appearing suspicious to staff, Portland police said.
The person, whom police identified as a juvenile, was seen on school grounds at about 9:30 a.m. The school resource officer made contact with the person outside the school. During the interaction, the SRO saw what he believed to be a weapon and tried to detain the person, who fled. The SRO chased the person and took them into custody, at which time he learned that what he had seen was not a real weapon, police said.
The school was placed in lockdown. South Portland Police Department investigated and determined that there was no threat to the high school. Students were released on an early release schedule at 11:45 a.m.
Police have not released the name of the individual and are still investigating to determine if they will place criminal charges.
In a letter to parents, South Portland Superintendent Tim Matheney said the incident “had absolutely no connection to the SPHS student who is currently facing criminal charges. The issues today were unrelated to that matter or to any previous incidents at SPHS.”
Tristan Hamilton, now 17, of South Portland is accused of trying to recruit someone to kill students and staff at South Portland High School. He was arrested in April and is facing charges of criminal solicitation, arson and terrorizing.