VEAZIE, Maine — A former Orono High School student is facing felony terrorizing and harassment by electronic communication charges after posting dozens of threatening, anonymous messages on an Internet account of a former classmate she thought was flirting with her boyfriend, according to Veazie police.
Although the Bangor Daily News usually does not identify crime victims, Orono High School sophomore Alexis Henkel, 15, her parents, Norbert and Judy Henkel, and her twin brother, Austin, agreed to talk publicly about what they’ve experienced in the hope of educating others about the impact that cyberbullying has on those who become targets.
The alleged cyberbully — a 16-year-old girl who used to go to Orono High School with the victim but now attends a high school in southern Maine — was charged with the offenses on Nov. 1 by Veazie police Sgt. Keith Emery.
“I’ve handled harassment calls for 24 years and have never seen threats as violent, disgusting and vulgar as these,” Emery said of the anonymous posts, which began appearing on the victim’s Tumblr blog account in late September.
