School Bus Driver Charged With Stalking Young Student And His Family
A New Hampshire school bus driver is accused of stalking an 8-year-old and threatening the child based on disturbing claims.
Michael Chick was a Greenland Central School bus driver in New Hampshire. A resident of Eliot Maine, he has been accused of crossing state lines to stalk an 8-year-old student to threaten the child and his family. This is in connection to the school bus driver’s obsession with the boy and his scheme to manipulate the child into sending him photos and videos of himself.
It all started when the school bus driver gave the child candy and Pokemon merchandise to gain his trust. Then he used scare tactics to make the child believe that a criminal organization called, “The Team,” was after the boy and his family. Michael Chick told the young student that these people would kidnap and torture him, as well as kill his entire family, if he did not accept TracFones from the school bus driver and take videos and pictures of himself and send them to him.
The school bus driver placed GPS tracking devices on the phones. This was to determine whether or not the child’s parents went to the police. He also began showing up at the family’s residence at night.
The boy’s parents became concerned about this behavior and reported him to the police in April. The school bus driver was ordered to stay away from the family, but they reported another incident in May. The school reassigned Chick to another route, yet despite this, he continued seeking the boy out.
It was not until July that the child’s parents found two TracFones inside a Pokemon lunchbox in their son’s bedroom. The boy admitted that they were given to him by the school bus driver and the family once again contacted local law enforcement. Michael Chick was also reported in July for parking and taking pictures of children at a waterpark, but no charges were filed. Chick lives with his mother, who was questioned by investigators and told them her son had taken a 2-night stay at the Kittery, Maine Ramada Inn along with a friend’s 4-year-old son just a couple of weeks ago.
When questioned by investigators, the school bus driver admitted to taking videos of the young child in the bathroom. A search of Chick’s car revealed ransom notes, threatening letters, duct tape, rubber gloves, children’s underwear, toys, candy alcohol, a TracFone, a digital camera, and a GPS tracker in his cell phone. At his residence, investigators discovered large plastic bags of children’s underwear, surveillance cameras, TracFones, and other non-disclosed evidence.
For now, Michael Chick is facing federal interstate stalking charges in connection to his behavior with the 8-year-old boy and his family. The investigation is currently in its early stages and further charges are likely to be filed. Parents who fear their child has fallen victim to the school bus driver’s schemes are instructed to call a special hotline, as are any individuals with information regarding this case. That number is 603-722-1751.
Chick attended his first court appearance Monday. His detention hearing is scheduled for August 18th. His attorney declined to comment on the school bus driver’s case.
