South Shore teacher charged with threatening to bring rifle to school is in court today

HINGHAM − A former Hanover High science teacher is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday morning in Hingham District Court on a felony charge of threatening to bring a rifle to school.

Police say that Kenneth Decie, 54, of Quincy, made the threat in response to disciplinary action taken against him by the school's principal, Matthew Mattos, according to Hingham District Court documents.

Decie made the threat in September while discussing the disciplinary matter with Steve Henderson, a fellow teacher and president of the Hanover Teachers Association, in a common room for staff, according to the police report.

When Mattos learned of the incident, he brought it to the attention of Superintendent of Schools Matthew Ferron, at which point a decision was made to put Decie on administrative leave. It is unclear whether his leave of absence was paid or unpaid.

Earlier in April, Ferron said that Decie no longer works for the school district.

A background check on Decie turned up no criminal record and showed that at one time he possessed a firearms identification card and license to carry, but both had expired, according to the police report.

Hanover police obtained and executed a search warrant for Decie’s Quincy home. No evidence was found, according to the report.

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Hanover Detective Stephen Moar initially requested a criminal complaint against Decie on a charge of threatening to commit assault. Later, it was decided to charge Decie under a different law dealing with “terroristic threats” that cause “anxiety, unrest, fear or personal discomfort to any person or groups of persons.”

Under Massachusetts law, threatening to commit a crime carries a maximum punishment of a $100 fine and no more than six months imprisonment. Terroristic threats can carry a heavier penalty, including a maximum of 20 years in state prison, 21½ years in the house of correction, a $10,000 fine or both fine and imprisonment.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Rifle threat alleged: Hanover High School teacher in court