Gorham schools were briefly locked down on Tuesday following an arrest warrant being executed in a town neighborhood, officials said.
The precautionary secure/lockdown status of three Gorham schools was lifted at 12:40 p.m. Tuesday, Superintendent Heather Perry reported. Perry said the security measure was not related to any incidents in the school buildings. Gorham Police Department advised schools about 11:30 a.m. to go into secure status because of the high-risk warrant at a home on Narragansett Street, near the traffic circle connecting the street and route 112.
Ryan Guay, a spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service, said Gorham leaders decided to execute the lockdown preemptively, out of an abundance of caution.
“Due to the proximity to several schools, they were placed into secure status until the incident was deemed safe,” Deputy Chief Michael Nault wrote in a press release.
Secure status means that all exterior doors are locked.
“No one will be permitted to enter or exit the building. Classes in the portable buildings have been moved inside, and all normal classroom activities are continuing,” Gorham High School Principal Brian Jandreau said in a message to families and staff.
Authorities were carrying out a federal arrest warrant for a juvenile who had violated conditions of their release and failed to appear in court, according to a press release from the U.S. Marshals Service.
The juvenile suspect faces a reckless conduct charge from an alleged shooting in Westbrook in May, the release stated.
During the search of the home in Gorham, the Marshals and officers from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office seized firearms.
Authorities said they also found and arrested a 21-year-old at the home. That suspect had failed to appear in court for proceedings related to a charge of operating under the influence and violating conditions of their release, according to the press release.
“Based upon the fugitive investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service Task Force believed the juvenile was actively and continuously trying to elude law enforcement and was believed to be intermittently staying with several known associates,” according to the press release.
Editor’s note: This story was updated on Sept. 3 with new information from the U.S. Marshals Service and Gorham Police Department.
