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Judge finds teenager not guilty of solicitation in mass shooting plot at South Portland High School

Judge finds teenager not guilty of solicitation in mass shooting plot at South Portland High School

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A teenager has been found not guilty of plotting a mass shooting at South Portland High School.

According to the Portland Press Herald, the 17-year-old was charged with criminal solicitation for murder and arson. He was accused of making threats and trying to recruit another person to commit mass murder at the high school last spring.

He was found not guilty on the solicitation charge but a judge adjudicated him on an arson charge, in connection with evidence showing the teen setting fire to stolen pride flags and throwing Molotov cocktails at the Wainwright Sports Complex. Adjudications replace convictions in juvenile court.

Police also found several guns in his home. His lawyer said the evidence presented was “incomplete and out of context.”

He’ll be sentenced at a later date on the arson charge.

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