Chicopee superintendent placed on leave following arrest for false statements about text threats

[Meanwhile in liberal land]

CHICOPEE, Mass. —
The superintendent of a Massachusetts school district is on
leave after she was arrested over accusations of making false
statements in connection with sending threatening messages to a
candidate for a government job.

The Chicopee School Committee held an emergency meeting
Wednesday night and voted 8-3 to place Superintendent of Schools
Lynn M. Clark on paid administrative leave, effective
immediately.

The School Committee has also formally asked Clark to submit her
resignation.

Clark, 51, of Belchertown, was charged by criminal complaint
with one count of making false statements.

According to the complaint, Chicopee was in the process of
hiring a new chief of police in December 2021 when law
enforcement officials received a report that one of the
candidates was receiving threats intended to force them to
withdraw their application for the position.

Officials allege Clark sent 99 threatening messages to a job
applicant from fictitious phone numbers purchased through a
mobile app. The messages allegedly contained threats to expose
information that would cause the job applicant reputational
harm, and some of them included photos of the applicant.

As a result, the victim withdrew their application, and the city
delayed the selection process, officials said.

Clark denied sending the messages on numerous occasions to
investigators and cast suspicion on other individuals, including
one of her own family members. However, she later admitted she
sent the messages through the use of the Burner app, officials
said.

According to the criminal complaint, Clark sent the messages
because she felt if the job applicant became chief of police, it
would "negatively impact" Clark's position as superintendent of
schools.

The charge of making false statements provides for a sentence of
up to five years in prison, up to one of supervised release and
a fine of up to $10,000.

Clark made her initial federal court appearance Wednesday in
Springfield. She was released on the conditions that she will
not contact anyone involved in the investigation via texts,
phone calls or social media.

She did not provide any comment to reporters as she left the
U.S. District Court in Springfield.

Clark's next federal court appearance is scheduled for April 27.

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