Youth Charged With Probation Violation

In Bomb Threat Case

By Andrew Gorosko

After learning that police held a warrant for him, a local youth who had been arrested in 2008 for making a bomb threat at Newtown High School, turned himself in at the police station on the morning of June 5 and was charged with violation of probation.

The youth, whom police identified only as a 17-year-old boy, surrendered to police about 9:15 am and was arrested, processed, and then released on $5,000 bail for a June 26 appearance at Danbury Youthful Offender Court.

Police did not disclose the reason why the boy was charged with violation of probation, other than to say that he allegedly violated a state law that he was required to obey as a condition of his probation in his court sentencing for making the bomb threat.

Because the offender is under age 18, his identity is shielded under the provisions of state law. Similarly, the dispositions of court proceedings against the boy are sealed.

On May 8, 2008, police learned of a bomb threat at the high school at 12 Berkshire Road. An evacuation of the school followed and an ensuing search of the building revealed the threat to be baseless, with no bomb present.

Following an investigation, police arrested the boy on a warrant on June 8, 2008, charging him with first-degree threatening and with breach of peace. The threatening charge is a Class D felony, in which a conviction holds a penalty of one to five years in prison and/or up to a $5,000 fine. The breach of peace charge is a Class B misdemeanor, in which a conviction holds a jail sentence of up to six months and/or up to a $1,000 fine.

Because the boy was under age 18 when he was initially arrested, his prosecution did not occur in public, so the disposition of his case is unknown. However, he obviously was sentenced, with that sentence including a period of probation. 

During the first half of 2008, there were about ten bomb scares at local schools, with most occurring at Newtown Middle School.

In August 2008, police arrested an unidentified 14-year-old boy on two criminal charges for allegedly having made two bomb threats at the middle school in May 2008, while he was an eighth grader there. He was charged with falsely reporting an incident and with breach of peace.

Also, in February 2008, police arrested an unidentified male middle school student on charges of threatening and breach of peace for allegedly making a bomb threat at that school in October 2007.