A Maine man and former bus driver at a New Hampshire school is accused of stalking and threatening an 8-year-old boy.
According to court documents, allegations include threats against the boy and his family, tracking family vehicles, multiple threatening conversations on board school buses, hidden cell phones and allusions to an organization known as “The Team.”
Michael Chick of Eliot, Maine is facing a federal charge of interstate stalking.
The investigation into Chick began on April 18, when the parents of the boy reported to the Greenland Central School their son’s bus driver had been giving gifts to him and his sister.
The parents told the school district when the children were absent, Chick would leave notes at the family home to say how much he missed them.
According to the federal affidavit, the boy told a family member that his sister started to share where they kept the key to the family home after Chick shared where he hid his. The family member said that added to the concern over the allegations.
Investigators say in May, Chick asked to attend one of the boy’s baseball games. When confronted about the request by authorities, Chick said he was going to be watching it with his nephew and thought it would get him interested in Little League. Authorities told Chick he was not to have further contact with the boy or his family.
Officials say after being informed by the family, the boy’s school contacted their bus company and asked Chick to be placed on a different route.
In July, the family told authorities they found two cell phones hidden in a Pokemon lunchbox Chick had given the boy. The affidavit states the boy told authorities Chick gave him a phone after the man was ordered to have no further contact.
The boy told his parents he only talked to Chick one time on the phone, about Pokemon, the report says.
The boy’s parents told authorities they were afraid Chick would kidnap their son and were afraid for his safety and their own.
During their investigation, authorities gained access to surveillance footage on buses that captured interactions between the boy and Chick.
During one conversation the report says, Chick told the boy, ” I’m not mad at you. I understand why you didn’t lie to your mom. We’re still in this situation, right? Have you been worried about it? Remember our deal? The reason they haven’t gone to that (inaudible) is I’ve been paying $1,000 a week (inaudible) hold them off while I try to figure out what I gotta do.”
In a conversation captured a few weeks later, the boy allegedly told Chick he couldn’t call him. A few moments later, Chick reminds him that if someone finds the phone to say he found it at school, and that the man didn’t give it to him, according to documents.
Multiple conversations included threats to the boy from “they/them” with instructions on something that the boy needed to do with the cellphone, officials said.
The boy would later tell investigators of an organization Chick referred to as “The Team.” The boy said The Team was an organization making threats toward him and his family that had between 8 and 800 members, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit says the boy told authorities, “…if (he) did not meet their demands, ‘The Team’ would go to ‘Plan B,’ which would result in (him) being kidnapped and tortured.”
In one conversation on the bus, Chick showed the boy a note allegedly threatening him, according to court documents.
The note, which the boy later confirmed Chick showed him, read in part, “You’ve had too many chances.” and “Make this happen now or the kid disappears.”
In August, authorities searched Chick’s home, finding multiple handwritten notes and instructions to the boy, several on-bus permission slips, computer-generated documents, two phones and a bag of underwear, according to court documents.
According to the affidavit, Chick spoke with officials and admitted he had threatened the boy and given him three different Tracfones. He also allegedly told authorities he placed trackers on the boy’s parents’ cars, adding he knew when they visited the Greenland Police Department.
The trackers were later found where Chick said he placed them, the affidavit says.
Chick is no longer employed as a driver by First Student.
The company made the following statement, “At First Student, we take these charges very seriously. 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.”
The U.S. Attorney in New Hampshire held a press conference to discuss the arrest of Chick Tuesday, adding the extensive investigation is still in its infancy stages.
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