Current:Home > NewsBus driver accused of stalking boy, 8, sentenced to nine years in prison -WealthMindset Learning
Bus driver accused of stalking boy, 8, sentenced to nine years in prison
View
Date:2025-04-17 15:33:50
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A former school bus driver who stalked and threatened an 8-year-old boy in New Hampshire was sentenced on Thursday to nine years in prison.
Michael Chick, of Eliot, Maine, who pleaded guilty in federal court last month to one count of cyberstalking, also was sentenced to three years’ supervised release.
Chick worked as a bus driver for First Student, a contractor, and drove routes in the southeastern New Hampshire towns of Greenland and Rye. He was arrested in 2022.
Prosecutors alleged he gave a student at Greenland Central School cellphones with instructions to take inappropriate photos of himself, placed tracking devices on his parents’ vehicles and made multiple nighttime visits to their home, according to court documents.
The boy told investigators Chick used a story about a group of criminals he called “The Team” who would kill his family, kidnap him and torture him if he did not comply with his demands.
The boy’s parents reported what they considered to be Chick’s obsession with their son. Chick was reassigned to different bus routes but continued to contact the boy, according to the court documents. The family reported him to police again after finding two cellphones in a lunchbox in the boy’s room.
“Michael Chick’s crimes caused unimaginable pain and fear for the survivor and his family. It is only because of their bravery and diligence that the defendant’s crimes were uncovered,” U.S. Attorney Jane Young said in a statement. “While Michael Chick’s incarceration will not erase the trauma he inflicted, it will hopefully provide some measure of justice for the survivor and his family.”
A judge had previously rejected a plea deal that included a six-year prison sentence, saying it was not long enough.
veryGood! (163)
Related
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- West Virginia University recommends keeping some language classes, moving forward with axing majors
- Amazon Reviewers Swear By This Genius Cleaning Ball to Keep Their Bags Dirt & Crumb-Free
- Meg Ryan Returns to Rom-Coms After 14 Years: Watch the First Look at What Happens Later
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- US men's basketball team wraps up World Cup Group C play with easy win against Jordan
- Security software helps cut down response times in school emergencies
- Revelers hurl tomatoes at each other and streets awash in red pulp in Spanish town’s Tomatina party
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- When is 'AGT' on tonight? Where to watch next live show of Season 18
Ranking
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- Current COVID response falling behind, Trump's former health adviser says
- Gabon’s wealthy, dynastic leader thought he could resist Africa’s trend of coups. He might be wrong
- Australians to vote in a referendum on Indigenous Voice to Parliament on Oct. 14
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- 2 killed when chopper crashes into apartments
- Yankees release former AL MVP Josh Donaldson amidst struggles, injuries in Bronx
- This baby alpaca was lost and scared until a man's kindness helped it find its way home
Recommendation
Average rate on 30
Arik Gilbert, tight end awaiting eligibility ruling at Nebraska, is arrested in suspected burglary
‘Breaking Bad’ stars reunite on picket line to call for studios to resume negotiations with actors
30 Florida counties told to flee as Idalia approaches, hate crimes spike: 5 Things podcast
Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
US economic growth for last quarter is revised down to a 2.1% annual rate
As Trump and Republicans target Georgia’s Fani Willis for retribution, the state’s governor opts out
Bronny James' Coach Shares Update on His Possible Return to the Basketball Court After Hospitalization