A 20 year old Monticello man is under arrest after making a threat against an 11 year old child via social media.

Charles Hindley has been charged with the misdemeanor of aggravated harassment.

He allegedly made the threat to the victim on Friday October 25 over the internet. The Sheriff’s Office spent the weekend attempting to locate Hindley.

On Monday, when the victim returned to school, the Sheriff’s Office notified the Monticello School District as a precaution. “That triggered the lockout”, said Sullivan County Undersheriff Eric Chaboty. “Once the suspect was in custody, the School District was notified”, Chaboty said.

It is important to note that despite misinformation circulating on social media, there was never any threat made against the school district.

Charles Hindley admitted to making the threat because he believed his girlfriend’s younger brother had been bullied.

Hindley was arraigned before  Thompson Town Justice Richard Baum and released to appear in court at a later date. The defendant was served with an order of protection and is not allowed on Monticello School District grounds.

Secondary threats

The night after the initial lockdown on Monday, October 28, the Monticello School District received reports of a social media post that described a potential threat of violence at Kaiser Middle School by a “high school student.”

The district responded by having lockouts in Monticello High School and Robert J. Kaiser Middle School remain in effect for October 29. The district had additional law enforcement on these campuses, to complement its regular security services such as two school resource officers, two armed security guards, security aides and metal detection of students.

The district lifted the lockouts on Tuesday, October 29. Federal, state and local law enforcement continued to investigate the social media post; the posting did not, however, appear to be credible. In discussing it with law enforcement, the district believed it reflected speculation and hearsay most likely spread by students in the wake of Monday's lockouts.