Man Accused Of NH School Shooting Threat Plans To Plead Guilty: Report

PORTSMOUTH, NH — A Maine man charged with threatening to commit a shooting at Portsmouth High School plans to plead guilty, according to court documents obtained by The Union Leader.

The man, 25-year-old Kyle Hendrickson, posted a Snapchat video on April 12 of himself sitting in a vehicle outside of Portsmouth High School and holding a handgun with the message "Imma gonna shoot up the school" typed out on the screen, according to charging documents.

The following day, Hendrickson was arrested in Portland, Maine. He has since been charged with interstate threatening communications and possessing a firearm in a school zone.

Police 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 car, officials said. A handgun that resembles the one used in the Snapchat video was also recovered near a motel where Hendrickson stayed on the day the video was posted.

Hendrickson intends to plead guilty to his charges and is due in court Dec. 11, according to court records obtained by the Union Leader.

Each of Hendrickson's charges provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, officials said.

According to superior court records, Hendrickson was arrested on several second-degree assault and vehicular assault charges in December 2020 after an incident in Rochester in March of that year. He pleaded guilty to five vehicular assault charges, all misdemeanors, in April 2021 and was sentenced to a year in prison, all suspended for two years. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $100,000 and not to have any contact with a woman.

Two months later, the sentence was amended. In September 2022, the case was reopened due to a violation of a court order. A hearing was held in January.

Tony Schinella contributed reporting.