Allenstown police have stepped up patrols after some “credible information” has sparked “serious concerns for kids walking to school,” said Police Chief Shaun Mulholland.

Mulholland said he couldn’t discuss the specific threat, but said it related to an individual registered as a sex offender who’s not on the public registry maintained by state police. He said police apprised local schools of the situation on the afternoon of Monday, Jan. 8, and urged school staff and parents to take precautions not to allow students to walk alone to and from school.

Pembroke Academy Headmaster Michael Reardon said he heard of the threat from a parent on the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 9.

“I thought we were under a terrorist attack because I hadn’t seen the news reports,” he said.v

Reardon said he’d heard a “sexual predator” who favored 8-year-old to 14-year-old girls had recently come to Allenstown.

“How is this different from the 30, 40 or 50 miscreants that we have among us now?” he asked. “I’m still not sure how it’s different.”v

Reardon said he knew little about the specifics of the situation.

“We really didn’t have any idea who this person is, or what he looks like,” he said.

SAU 53 Superintendent Tom Haley said each of Allenstown’s schools reviewed everyday safety procedures after police notified the district. He said letters announcing the district’s knowledge of the situation, along with some suggestions for student safety, were going home with all Allenstown students on Tuesday, Jan. 9.

“We’re really not aware of what the threat is,” he said. “We’re talking about some sort of sexual predator and someone who’s new to the area.”

There are currently six Allenstown residents listed on the state’s public registry of sex offenders. Four of those six were convicted of felonious sexual assault with a victim under 13 years old. The other two were convicted of felonious sexual assault of someone under 16 years old, and with an age difference of more than three years.

Mulholland said there are far more sex offenders registered in Allenstown than are listed on the public registry.

“There’s a far greater percentage who are not on the public list,” he said.

As of press time, police were still increasing foot and vehicle patrols in the downtown Allenstown area, Mulholland said. He urged parents to accompany students to and from school, said students on foot should stay in groups, and also said students who normally walk to school should try to take the bus.