A Massachusetts superintendent of schools was arrested Wednesday in connection to an investigation into threatening messages sent to a local chief of police candidate.
Chicopee Superintendent of Schools Lynn Clark is accused of sending 99 text messages in an effort to intimidate an applicant into withdrawing for the top police job, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
Clark was charged with a count of making false statements to federal investigators and appeared in federal court Wednesday. Her attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.
The case was referred to the FBI in December after the candidate, who was not identified, withdrew their application for the chief of police role. Chicopee Mayor John Vieau told FBI agents that he felt the withdrawal “unfairly affected the integrity of the selection process,” the complaint said.
According to a criminal complaint, the messages threatened “reputational harm” if the candidate didn’t bow out of the competitive job search.
The candidate noted to FBI investigators that some messages contained “private material” they had sent to Clark through their personal email. Clark also sent them messages she had received that included instructions to pressure the candidate to withdraw their application, the complaint said.
Clark met with investigators in December and January, where she said she had received numerous threatening messages as well, the complaint said. She had “deleted every text message from her cellular telephone” and told FBI agents that she feared information leaked about the job candidate would also “tarnish her reputation.”
She allegedly urged FBI agents to close the investigation before identifying a culprit, casting suspicion on other city employees and even members of her own family.
But further investigation found that Clark purchased fake phone numbers through an app to send roughly 99 messages to herself, the job candidate and the candidate’s wife, the complaint said. Records from what agents described as a “burner app” found connections to Clark’s home internet service provider.
When confronted with the evidence tying her to the burner app, Clark told FBI agents that she wanted the candidate to be “knocked down a peg,” the complaint said. Clark also said that she felt their accomplishments were a direct result of some of her own work and their promotion would negatively impact her position as superintendent.
The mayor’s office said that it was aware of Clark’s arrest Wednesday morning and was working to ensure the schools continue to operate smoothly, “as the education of children remains paramount.”
“Today’s arrest is disheartening for the City of Chicopee,” Vieau’s statement said. “The School Committee will meet tonight in executive session to decide on a proper course of action.”
Clark faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, the Justice Department said in a statement Wednesday.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
