Police release man who had a gun at Northern Maine Community College

1 year ago

This story has been updated.

Police have released a man who had a gun at Northern Maine Community College Thursday morning without charging him.

Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle is operating as normal following a lockdown when the incident was reported.

Presque Isle police went to the campus at about 9:45 a.m. after receiving word of a man with a firearm, police officials said.  

Officers located the man, who did have a gun, police said. They did not charge him with anything and released him. There was no threat to the public, and no one inside the building was threatened or injured, police said.

The college will examine a violation of school policy, police said.

“This morning at 9:51 a.m. NMCC issued a RAVE [state emergency system] alert to a potential threat on campus. Campus security contacted Presque Isle police and the situation has been resolved,” campus President Timothy Crowley said Thursday afternoon.

Local police, SAD 1, campus officials and security collaborated to resolve the issue and the lockdown was lifted at 10:40 a.m., Crowley said. 

Crowley did not give specifics on the threat.

Doug Morrell of Caribou was on campus for a welding demonstration Thursday morning when the incident took place. 

He said he understood the lockdown and heightened response in light of last week’s mass shooting in Lewiston and other incidents around the country, but said he wasn’t nervous.

“This young man did something he shouldn’t have, and he’ll pay the price for it. But I personally didn’t feel threatened at all,” Morrell said.