NEWPORT, Vt. — A Newport man was arrested Thursday after allegedly making bomb threats against North Country Union High School that prompted an evacuation and lockdown of area schools.
Cypher Aiken, 25, was charged with domestic terrorism and threatening a civilian population with mass destruction and mass killings, according to Chief Travis Bingham.
Newport Police were notified at approximately 12:23 p.m. Thursday that Aiken had made a threat via text message claiming he planted bombs inside North Country Union High School.
Police immediately notified school officials, who decided to evacuate the high school based on the threat. Other Newport schools were placed on lockdown as a precaution, with police officers providing security while authorities searched for the suspect.
The high school was searched by Newport Police Department officers and maintenance staff. Other schools remained in lockdown until Aiken was taken into custody.
Police located Aiken at Shaw’s supermarket on Route 5 in Derby after checking his residence and pinging his cellphone. Due to his threats of having bombs, the Vermont State Police Bomb Team searched the vehicle Aiken was driving for potentially dangerous devices.
Investigators determined Aiken did not have any explosives.
Aiken was ordered held on $50,000 bail pending arraignment Friday in Orleans District Court.
Multiple agencies assisted in the response, including Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, Vermont State Police, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs Enforcement, Vermont Department of Motor Vehicle Enforcement, Vermont State Police Bomb Team, ATF, Vermont Fish and Game, Newport City Fire Department, Newport Ambulance Service, and North Country Union High School.
“I want to thank the numerous law enforcement agencies and departments that assisted us with responding to this situation,” Bingham said. “We take the safety of our schools extremely seriously, and we are always ready to protect our community from these kind of irresponsible and dangerous threats.”
