Two former students were convicted last month for their involvement in one of the ’06 bomb threats. While they serve 30-day sentences, police are closing in on a male suspect who allegedly phoned in the threat.
Erin Grade, 20, of Rockland, and Geneva Benner, 20, of Thomaston, were sentenced at separate hearings in March. In addition to jail time, each woman was ordered to share $1354.95 in restitution to various departments at USM.
Between April 23, 2006 and October 19, 2007, the university was targeted by 14 separate bomb threats. These threats took many forms, including some via telephone, e-mail and one written in a bathroom stall.
On the afternoon of Dec. 4, 2006, court documents indicate that Benner and Grade were two of five people in a car headed to the Portland campus. A third, male passenger allegedly made the threat via telephone, which led to the evacuations of the Portland and Gorham campuses. USM Police Chief Lisa Beecher said that her department hopes their continued investigation will lead to his arrest in the next few months. Beecher and detective Penny Belanger have spearheaded the bomb threat investigations since April 2006.
Charged with terrorizing, a class-C felony, both women originally pleaded not-guilty. At their March hearings, each changed their pleas, Benner pleading guilty while Grade pled no contest.
Asked about the plea change, Grade’s attorney, Henry Shanoski, said that it came because of a collection of factors.
While he says that it was not Grade who made the call, “just her being in the car, the fact that it was also her class that was being cancelled – a factor like that might have led the jury to believe that she had an interest in the outcome and was an accomplice to the crime.”
In cases like this, he said, “if you’re between a rock and a hard place, you have to make that kind of decision.”
While he said that they’re disappointed with the outcome, “we’re happy she can get on with her life after her 30 days.”
He says that Grade plans to pursue film studies at Southern Maine Community College. “She’s a very nice girl,” he said, “very thoughtful, good person, and she was in an unfortunate situation and she ended up paying a pretty heavy price.”
Benner, tried shortly after Grade, pled guilty to the charge. Her attorney, Stephen J. Schwartz, said that after weighing the risks involved in her plea, “my client took full responsibility for her actions in light of the evidence and the risks.”
When she’s released in May, Schwartz expects that Benner “will move on with her life and be a productive member of society.”
Both attorneys agree that, in a post-Sept. 11 era, this kind of case is difficult to face. “Terrorism and bomb threats are taken pretty seriously, and rightfully so,” said Shanoski, who said it was in Grade’s best interest to take the deal she got, “even though I was disappointed she had to take it.”
Facing a maximum five-year prison term, each was sentenced to 30 days in a county jail.
A federal bomb threat charge may apply as well, though neither woman has been charged at this time. The federal statute says that the crime is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Dec. 4 bomb threat for which these women were convicted was one in a series of 14 separate threats for which police are still looking for suspects.
A $20,000 reward is still in effect for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in any of the threats. Smaller rewards will be given for individual tips.
According to Craig Hutchinson, the vice president of student and university life, the reward money would come from the university’s gifts fund rather than the operating budget.
“I think it was important, given the gravity of the situation, that those determined responsible were held accountable for their actions,” said Hutchinson. On the convictions of Grade and Benner, he does believe that happened.
Benner will be released from Cumberland County Jail on May 19. Grade’s release is scheduled for May 12.
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Bomb Threat Timeline
2006
April 23 – Three separate phone calls caused the evacuation of all three USM campuses.
Oct. 2, 3 – A telephoned bomb threat cleared the Portland and Gorham campuses and classes and activities were cancelled for the day. Two threats called in the next day caused a similar evacuation.
Nov. 8 – A phone call threatening a planted bomb was made to the Women’s Resource Center caused an evacuation of the Portland campus.
Nov. 14 – USM’s main switchboard received a bomb threat, resulting in the evacuation of all three campuses.
Nov. 15 – Independent bomb consultant Tim Culbert was hired by USM to train staff volunteers in identifying explosives and search methods. Culbert held three training classes at USM in late November and early December.
Nov. 28 – The first of several e-mail threats was received. After determining the threat level of this e-mail, no evacuation was ordered.
Dec. 4 – A telephone call from an unidentified male caused another evacuation of Portland and Gorham campuses. Bob Caswell, executive director of public affairs, and Craig Hutchinson, vice president of student and university life, revealed the creation of an ad hoc committee called Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT). The team is made up of staff and faculty, including Police Chief Lisa Beecher, to determine the nature of the threats and how to respond to them, such as with evacuation.
Dec. 13 – A threat was received at an undisclosed location. No evacuation was ordered.
2007
Feb. 19 – An e-mail sent on this date was received the following day by the School of Law in Portland.
Mar. 3 – An e-mailed threat discovered two days later at the Undergraduate Admissions Office resulted in an evacuation of the nearby childcare center in Gorham.
July 6 – Two former USM students, Erin Grade and Geneva Benner, were indicted by Cumberland County in connection with the Dec. 4, 2006, threat. Both pled not guilty.
Aug. 11 – An e-mailed bomb threat was received by an undisclosed USM employee.
Sept. 10 – A “spam-type” e-mail was received by several USM personnel. This e-mail was similar to types sent to other universities at around the same time and not considered one of the many USM bomb threats.
Sept. 14 – An e-mailed threat was received by the Lewiston-Auburn campus. No evacuation was ordered.
Oct. 19 – Staff in the Upton Hall administrative wing in Gorham found a piece of graffiti on a women’s bathroom stall vaguely indicating a bomb.
Nov. 5 – Grade and Benner’s court proceedings are delayed until March 2008 due to the medical leave absence of key witness Lisa Beecher, USM’s chief of police.
March 11, 14-Benner and Grade changed their pleas to guilty and no contest, respectively, and were each sentenced to 30 days in Cumberland County Jail and ordered to jointly pay a $1354.95 restitution to USM.