School Superintendent Allegedly Made 99 Threats to Police Chief Candidate
Earlier this week, a federal grand jury indicted Lynn Clark, former superintendent of a public school district in Massachusetts, for making false statements in connection with 99 threats to a Police Chief candidate.
Clark pleaded not guilty to two counts of misleading agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after her indictment over accusations she sent her former lover and Police Chief candidate Richard Henry “threatening texts” including “personal material” to persuade him to step down from the town election. According to court documents, Henry received texts from unknown numbers threatening to disclose information that would harm his reputation. He later withdrew his candidacy for Police Chief.
According to the Justice Department, Clark initially claimed she never sent such threats to Henry and accused others of doing so. Federal prosecutors note that Clark accused other city employees of sending the threats and members of her family. Clark also falsely denied using a mobile app to purchase the fictitious phone numbers to send the messages. She later acknowledged having sent the messages.
A Justice Department spokesperson stated that Clark was released from federal custody on standard conditions. The defendant must also refrain from contacting certain individuals, refrain from excessive alcohol use, and report to Pretrial Services as directed.
A federal court hearing was set for July 6 to determine the case's status. Clark faces a sentence of up to five years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $10,000 for each charge of making false statements.