Maine Bus Driver Stalked, Threatened NH Boy, 8, And His Family: Police

CONCORD, NH — A Maine man and former New Hampshire school bus driver is facing a federal charge after authorities say he stalked and threatened an 8-year-old boy and his family, according to the New Hampshire U.S. Attorney's Office.

Michael Chick, 39, of Eliot, was charged with interstate stalking, authorities announced this week. Chick was arrested last week in Maine.

Chick was assigned to bus routes servicing the Greenland Central School in Greenland, New Hampshire. According to court documents, the investigation into Chick began in April when the boy's parents told school officials that Chick had given gifts to the boy and his sister.

The parents also told authorities Chick would leave notes at their house when the kids stayed home from school. The notes would say how much he missed them, according to court documents.

At one point, Chick asked to attend the boy's baseball game. When questioned by authorities, he said he planned to take his nephew to the game to get him interested in Little League, court documents said. Authorities then told him to stay away from the boy and his family.

In July, authorities said the boy's parents discovered a Pokémon lunchbox containing two cell phones. The boy told police that Chick would wave him over to the bus to take a cell phone. The boy refused at first but eventually accepted the phones, authorities said. The boy told authorities he only spoke with Chick on one of the phones once, and they talked about Pokémon.

The boy also told authorities that Chick talked about a group he called "The Team," and if the boy did not meet the group's demands, he and his family would be kidnapped and tortured.

The investigation also revealed that Chick tried to coerce the boy into taking inappropriate photos and videos of himself, telling him he would be abducted or killed if he didn't.

In August, authorities searched Chick's home and found multiple cell phones, surveillance cameras, tracking devices and a baggie of children's underwear. They also found numerous computer-generated documents containing threatening messages and language, according to court documents.

When police questioned Chick, he admitted to threatening the boy and giving him three different cell phones. He also told police he had placed GPS trackers on vehicles belonging to the boy's parents and had went to their home several times "just to walk around."

Chick's initial appearance in court was scheduled for Monday. He is no longer employed by First Student as a bus driver, WMTW reported.

"At First Student, we take these charges very seriously," the company said in a statement. "Behavior such as this is completely unacceptable and at odds with what we stand for as a company. First Student no longer employs the driver. We are cooperating with the authorities and given that this is an active investigation, we are unable to comment further."