MANCHESTER, N.H. — A former school bus driver accused of threatening and stalking an 8-year-old boy in New Hampshire has agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors under which he would serve a six-year prison sentence, according to court documents filed in federal court.
Michael Chick, 40, of Eliot, Maine, worked as a bus driver for First Student and drove routes in both Greenland and Rye, New Hampshire.
Chick was arrested last year. Prosecutors alleged he gave a student at Greenland Central School cellphones with instructions to take inappropriate photos of himself, placed tracing devices on his parents’ vehicles and made multiple nighttime visits to their home, according to court documents.
For the latest breaking news, weather, and traffic alerts, download the NEWS CENTER Maine mobile app.
The boy reportedly 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 their demands.
The boy’s parents reported what they considered 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.
A hearing on the plea agreement, filed last week, is scheduled for June 8. Chick had been scheduled for trial Jun 21.