A Massachusetts school superintendent has been arrested by the FBI after an investigation into threatening messages she allegedly sent to someone applying to be the town’s police chief.
Chicopee Superintendent of Schools Lynn Clark was charged late Wednesday with one count of making false statements to investigators. Clark was placed on leave Wednesday night during an emergency meeting of the Chicopee School Committee, which also requested her immediate resignation, WesternMassNews.com reported.
The saga apparently began in November, when a person applying to become the town’s new police chief, “received numerous text messages from unknown numbers containing threats to expose information that would cause the victim reputational harm,” according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. The candidate withdrew their application and the threats were reported to law enforcement in December.
The unnamed candidate allegedly received 99 threatening texts from fictitious phone numbers. Phone and internet records led investigators to Clark, whom they allege had purchased the fake phone numbers from a mobile app and denied sending the messages when interviewed by law enforcement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Before she eventually admitted to sending the messages, she allegedly accused several other individuals, including city employees, one of the candidate’s colleagues, and a member of her own family, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. A charge of making false statements is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Breaking update: Chicopee School Committee votes to place school superintendent on leave effective immediately following her arrest; committee members asking for her to submit resignation as well. @NBC10Boston @NECN https://t.co/dF60CEnz7J pic.twitter.com/HkrQKcrJxS
— Michael Rosenfield NBC10 Boston (@MikeRNBCBoston) April 6, 2022
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