The Buxton man accused of raping a 15-year-old female student in the unisex bathroom of Bonny Eagle High School in Standish was almost caught with illegal drugs on school property just one day after the alleged sexual assault.
But the public school principal instead told Ali K. Al-Shammari, 19, to keep his money safe and told him to leave his office, according to social media posts sent by Al-Shammari and obtained by the Maine Wire.
Al-Shammari was arrested in February by the Buxton Police Department and charged with two counts of gross sexual assault. He was released from jail just days after his arrest on Feb. 25 on $2,500 cash bail. Court records obtained by the Maine Wire show he was released under conditions that he not enter Bonny Eagle High School and have no direct or indirect contact with another minor student at the school.
WATCH:
The Maine Wire has learned that Al-Shammari was expelled shortly after the alleged assault for a separate matter unrelated to the sexual assault charges. However, between the time of the alleged assault and his expulsion from the school, Al-Shammari had at least one close call with administrators, according to social media posts authored by Al-Shammari.
“I’m doing flavored weed soon,” Ali wrote in a Snapchat message, an apparent reference to his upcoming acquisition of a new THC vape product.
[RELATED: Former Bonny Eagle High School Student Accused of Raping 15-year-old in School Bathroom…]
“Some [n-word] we’re talking about me having lots of money and I got called to the office by Finn and he said just keep your money safe and asked me what’s in the bag,” Ali wrote.
Theodore Finn is the principal of Bonny Eagle High School.
“I said cologne and cleats and he said I can see then the [n-word] got a radio call and told me I believe u and said I can go back to class,” Ali wrote.
“Bro I was so close to getting f—-ed bro,” he added.
According to the time stamp, that message was sent on Sept. 10, 2024 — incidentally just one day after the alleged rape in the high school bathroom.
Another screenshot from Al-Shammari’s Snapchat shows him posing for a selfie with the caption, “Nah guys I have to steal money from hannaford guys.”
The Maine Wire contacted Bonny Eagle High School Principal Theodore Finn to ask whether or not his Sept. 10 meeting with Al-Shammari occurred, if he was aware of the alleged sexual assault from the day prior at the time of the meeting, and if Al-Shammari was selling vapes at the school.
Finn told the Maine Wire via email that he is unable to comment on any matter concerning a specific student and directed questions to Superintendent Gleason.
Superintendent of Bonny Eagle School District (MSAD 6) Clay Gleason has confirmed that Al-Shammari was a student, but no longer attends the high school.
MSAD 6 Board of Directors meeting documents show that the district conducted a Title IX investigation into Al-Shammari in November for allegedly “Sexually assaulting [minor victim] in a bathroom at Bonny Eagle High School,” and for “Unwanted sexual contact (kissing) [victim] in the hallway in early September.”
According to Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce, the alleged assault was reported to school administrators on Nov. 1 and conveyed to the School Resource Officer on the same day, who notified the Sheriff’s Office.
On Nov. 11, the Sheriff’s Office assigned a detective to investigate the case, which led to an interview with the victim at the Children’s Advocacy Center.
Sheriff Joyce indicated that his office later acquired the Title IX investigation from Bonny Eagle via subpoena on Jan. 13 and forwarded the case to the Cumberland County District Attorney on Feb. 11.
Nine days later, on Feb. 20, an arrest warrant was issued, and Al-Shammari was taken into custody by the Buxton Police Department the same day.
In order to avoid asking about Al-Shammari specifically, the Maine Wire asked Superintendent Gleason general questions about the district’s policy regarding background checks on transfer students, as well as policies regarding an administrator’s options if they are aware of a student with large amounts of cash on his person who is also alleged to have engaged in illegal drug trafficking on campus
“As you probably know school administrators have fairly broad discretion to search students if they have reasonable suspicion of a violation of the code of conduct,” Gleason wrote on Tuesday.
“When students enroll we don’t typically do a deep dive into their background beyond a file review, including available disciplinary records,” he wrote. “If there was any indication of a concern, a school administrator or guidance counselor might make a call to a previous school, particularly if there was any evident reason to do so.”
Regarding the issue of a student carrying large amounts of cash, the superintendent said it would be “complicated.”
“If a student was being questioned about selling things (including drugs) at school, it would be more relevant,” Gleason wrote. “If they are being questioned about other violations of the code of conduct, a student carrying money might not be as notable.”
“There is no explicit rule about carrying money at school,” he added. “So, as I said, I wouldn’t want to speculate about how an investigation might proceed without specifics, and I appreciate your understanding that I can’t discuss details.”
Al-Shammari’s arrest has set the Bonny Eagle community ablaze with questions and criticism for school administrators, who have revealed scant information about the case, citing student privacy rules and district policies.
Only when the Maine Wire began asking Gleason about Al-Shammari’s arrest did the school alert parents that police had reason to suspect a violent sexual assault occurred on the school’s campus.
Because of the school’s decision to withhold this information from community members, parents and other students would have had no way of knowing about Al-Shammari’s charges, as the local news media also seemed oblivious to the 19-year-old’s arrest.
Even two months after the arrest became public record, Maine’s major newspapers have not covered the alleged sexual assault.
