By Nicholas Brown
Staff Writer

A Pembroke Academy senior was arrested and banned from the building after threatening in class to shoot a teacher and students.

Pembroke police responded to a call from the school saying 17-year-old Travis Young, of 3 Verville Road, Allenstown, threatened to get a gun and shoot a teacher and students on Friday, May 20. He faces three counts of criminal threatening due to the incident.

Academy Headmaster Michael Reardon said the decision to call the police was made because of the "current climate of education of this country," adding, "We're not in a position to take that kind of threat lightly."

Young was released on $10,000 personal recognizance bail. The conditions of his bail are that he stay away from school and surrender any guns at his home.

Pembroke Police Chief Wayne Cheney said several guns were found at Young's residence, but said he said the removal was a "safety precaution," as he suspected the guns likely belong to Young's parents.

"Anytime you have a threat like that, you have to be very careful," Cheney said. "I think the outcome was good. Nobody got hurt."

In order to put people at ease, said Cheney, a police officer was posted at the school on the Monday following the incident.

Young now awaits a June 21 arraignment at the Hooksett District Court.

Reardon said the school is working with Young to fulfill graduation requirements, though Young missed the final days of classes. He added that Young was already banned from graduation ceremonies because he failed to participate in the Pembroke Performance Project, a requirement for all seniors wishing to attend graduation.

Reardon, the school's headmaster for the past four years, said the incident was the most severe he's seen during his tenure, but said students have been adjusting well back to normalcy and order.

"I'm sorry it happened," Reardon said. "But when you have 1,050 kids, things are going to go wrong sometimes."