Syracuse, NY – A Syracuse mother accused of posing as a student to enter a school and assaulting a teacher was arraigned on new charges Wednesday.
Lynzina Sutton, 31, was charged with entering Lincoln Middle School on Feb. 16 assaulting her daughter’s teacher and threatening another teacher while inside the school, according to an indictment.
While inside the school, Sutton also made a threat to another teacher, prosecutor Cindi Newtown said Wednesday. Sutton has now been charged with harassment and endangering the welfare of a child.
Sutton repeatedly punched the teacher in the face, fracturing the teacher’s nasal bone and maxillary spine bones, District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said at the time.
Sutton was able to slip past school security when students were arriving at the school, Syracuse School Superintendent Anthony Davis said at a news conference after the incident. Security believed the 4-foot-10-inch tall mother was another student, Fitzpatrick said. She also had a hood up, Davis said.
A security guard tried to call after Sutton but she kept walking, a spokesperson for the district Amanda Hull said. Sutton continued to the teacher’s room while the guard called for help and the principal stepped in, Hull said.
Sutton confronted her daughter’s teacher and punched the woman as students stood in the doorway, Davis said. The principal arrived and unsuccessfully tried to de-escalate the situation, he said.
Sutton was able to leave and was arrested later that day. She was charged with second-degree assault and third-degree burglary.
Sutton now also faces the harassment charge and 11 counts of endangering the welfare of a child because children witnessed the assault, Newtown said.
The alleged assault was motivated by a report made about her child, Fitzpatrick said. The student had lied about her whereabouts during the school day, he said.
A referral about the student’s discipline had been made and before any action was taken, Sutton allegedly attacked the teacher who made the report the next morning, he said.
Newtown said the new harassment charge was handled after the initial arrest and added to the 14-count indictment.
Sutton was held in the Onondaga County Justice Center jail until she made bond, Fitzpatrick said. The bond was $40,000, a sheriff’s office spokesperson said.
She is scheduled to appear in court again on June 24.
Staff writer Anne Hayes covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her di lei at [email protected].
