Woman arrested at Timberlane school board meeting faces new charge
May 26—PLAISTOW — A woman arrested for disorderly conduct at last week's Timberlane Regional School Board meeting after refusing to wear a mask in the auditorium is now facing an additional criminal charge.
According to Prosecutor Kevin Coyle, a review of cellphone footage from multiple bystanders led to new criminal trespass allegations.
Kathleen Bossi, 57, will answer both charges in Salem District Court. As of Wednesday, formal complaints were not yet filed in the courthouse.
Bossi was part of a group of concerned families who attended the meeting to speak out against the district's mask mandate. She was alone in being arrested.
"She was the one that forced the issue. Could the others have been charged? Potentially," Coyle said. "The officers used their discretion to charge the first person who decided to make an issue of it."
He said the Police Department has been sent videos of Bossi's arrest from people who "clearly did not want us to go forward with the case."
However, Coyle said the footage only made clear that the criminal trespass charge was warranted.
"She was given an order not to go in (to the auditorium) and she went in anyways," Coyle said. "She was the first person that barged past the police officers and went into the auditorium."
When asked why local and state police were at the meeting, Coyle said he believes the request came from the school superintendent's office.
