Portsmouth High School shooting threat suspect changes pleas to guilty on federal charges
PORTSMOUTH — Kyle Hendrickson, arrested last spring for allegedly threatening to "shoot up" Portsmouth High School, now intends to plead guilty to two federal charges, according to U.S. District Court records.
The Berwick, Maine, man has switched his plea from not guilty to guilty for interstate threatening communication and possessing a firearm in a school zone.
In April, Hendrickson allegedly posted a Snapchat video of himself outside Portsmouth High School holding a handgun. The video, taken from inside a car he allegedly used to drop his mother off at the school, contained a text overlay reading: “Imma gonna shoot up the school.”
The incident led the Portsmouth school district to close all city schools for one day, April 13, as police sought the suspect. Hendrickson was arrested in Portland, Maine, later that day.
Court documents state the handgun Hendrickson brandished in the video was a Smith & Wesson SD40v VE handgun. Prosecutors allege a number of weapons were found in the 2014 Ford Explorer Hendrickson was allegedly driving, including an AR-15 rifle, a shotgun, camouflage body armor, a handgun holster, a red-dot sight and several rounds of ammunition.
The penalties for each federal charge include a maximum five-year prison term, a fine upwards of $250,000 and a term of supervised release lasting no more than three years, court documents state.
“The defendant acknowledges, understands (and) agrees that he/she is pleading guilty freely and voluntarily because he/she is guilty. The defendant further acknowledges, understands and agrees that he/she is pleading guilty without reliance upon any discussions between the United States and the defendant, without promise of benefit of any kind, and without threats, force, intimidation, or coercion of any kind,” Hendrickson’s change of plea document states. “The defendant further acknowledges his/her understanding of the nature of the offense(s) to which he/she is pleading guilty, including the penalties provided by law.”
Hendrickson and his attorney, Murdoch Walker II, signed off on the change of plea on Nov. 17. Walker could not be immediately reached for comment.
A change of plea hearing in Hendrickson’s case has been scheduled for Monday, Dec. 11 before Judge Samantha D. Elliot. A trial in his case previously set for Dec. 12 has been canceled in light of Hendrickson’s change of plea.
Hendrickson allegedly told police the video was meant to be a joke, a comment that drew criticism from the leader of Portsmouth's Police Commission.
“It’s hard to see it as a joke when the individual is driving around with an arsenal in their car,” commission chairperson Stefany Shaheen said in April.
Hendrickson was immediately charged with interstate threatening communication by federal prosecutors. In September, a federal grand jury indicted him for possessing a firearm in a school zone.
In New Hampshire, there is no law preventing people who are not students from possessing a firearm in a school zone. But the 1990 Gun-Free School Zones Act banned individuals from knowingly possessing a firearm in a school zone, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
In August, U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrea Johnstone approved a motion from Hendrickson’s lawyers recommending he take part in a therapeutic community program at the Strafford County House of Corrections.
The swift investigation into Hendrickson was led by the Portsmouth Police Department and the FBI. The agencies were assisted by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Somersworth Police Department, the Portland Police Department, and the Berwick Police Department.
This story may be updated.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth High School shooting threat suspect to plead guilty
