BRATTLEBORO — A former Brattleboro Area Middle School employee accused of making threatening statements toward the principal is to be arraigned on Friday on one count of criminal threatening at a public school.
If found guilty, Patricia "Trish" Coyne, 56, of Brookline, could be sentenced to up to two years in jail.
At about 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Brattleboro Officer Tyler Law responded to Brattleboro Area Middle School to a report that a staff member had resigned and was making threatening statements.
"Prior to leaving, Coyne had made statements about the school being shot up and the principal, Keith Lyman, being shot in the face," wrote Law in his affidavit.
Another school staffer reported that Coyne had mentioned several times that she was fantasizing about shooting Lyman in the face multiple times.
"I hope somebody does put a bullet in Keith's head," wrote Coyne in a text message to the staffer.
A different staffer told Law that Coyne said to her "I understand now why people go into schools and shoot people."
Another staffer said Coyne "seemed very mad" and she feared Coyne would act on her threats.
Later that day, Coyne was taken into custody of the Vermont State Police who transported her to Grace Cottage Hospital for an evaluation. After her evaluation she was released with conditions on a $200 bond.
On the BAMS website, Coyne is listed as planning room supervisor, though a source familiar with the situation said she was working as a paraprofessional (her photo was removed from the website on Thursday afternoon). According to her LinkedIn page, she started at BAMS in 2018 after seven years as a behavioral interventionist at Kindle Farm in Newfane.
Coyne was scheduled to appear in court Thursday but failed to appear. A warrant was issued and she is expected in Windham Superior Court, Criminal Division, at 1 p.m. on Friday.
