11-year-old charged after police say suspicious device brought on school bus in Maine

NEW GLOUCESTER, Maine (AP) — An 11-year-old boy has been accused of making a threat after police found what they described as a suspicious device in his home that had been brought onto a school bus in Maine.

The bus driver stopped the bus and evacuated it Thursday afternoon in New Gloucester, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. There were about 15 middle and high school students on board.

Several police agencies responded, including the Maine State Police Bomb Squad with a bomb detection dog.

It eventually was determined that there was no longer a potential threat to the public, students or the school district, the sheriff’s office said. The child and the device were later found at his home.

“Investigators determined that it was not an explosive device,” the statement said, without providing further information. A message seeking comment was left with the office Friday.

The child, a sixth-grade student, was charged with terrorizing and released to his parents’ custody. The punishment if convicted can range from less than a year to up to five years in jail, and a fine.