Westford Academy Teacher Charged With Harassment, Identity Fraud

WESTFORD, MA — Michael Colson, a Westford Academy history teacher is accused of harassing a Westford mother online through fake Facebook and email accounts. Colson, the former president of the Westford Education Association, was set to be arraigned on Feb. 10, but it was moved to Feb. 24.

Colson's attorney Lissa McKinney did not immediately respond to request for comment from Patch Wednesday.

However, when police asked Colson if he created the false accounts and sent harassing emails, he didn't deny it, according to police.

"Colson stated that he could not say it was not him," according to the complaint.

Colson is on leave from work, and his position is being temporarily filled by Anthony Brown, according to the Westford Academy student newspaper. Patch has reached out to the school principal to confirm.

Jannelle Cioffi of Westford, told police this summer —and later posted to Facebook— that Colson harassed her over Facebook and through emails sent to Westford Public Schools staff and Westford residents, using the alias “Kate Lawson.”

Westford Police Sgt. Gregory Marchand detailed the department’s findings in the criminal complaint, saying Cioffi first filed a report with police in June.

Cioffi told police she had messaged with the “Kate Lawson” account, and that the person who created the page had created several local Facebook groups, including “Divisible Westford Transition Massachusetts,” and “Westford for Truth and Transparency” and had added her to these groups and made her a moderator. Each time, Cioffi asked to be removed from the groups.

The account under Lawson's name then posted about "secret messages" between Cioffi and Superintendent Bill Olsen, according to the complaint. Patch has reached out to Olsen.

While police were investigating they said they found that Colson had created a fake email account, “Stevecarlton1971” the screen name “EugeneC” and he sent harassing emails to both Olsen and Cioffi.

Shortly afterward, a senior at Westford Academy came to the police station with her father to report that her photo was being used as Lawson’s profile picture without her permission. They told police they didn't know who Lawson was.

In October and November police and the state Cyber Crimes Unit tracked the IP address and account to Colson’s email. They said the internet service provider was registered in Colson’s wife’s name.

By Dec. 3, police asked Colson to come into the Westford police station to be interviewed. Police shared with him what they had found and said he had no explanation, according to the complaint.

A month after Colson was charged, Cioffi took to Facebook to post about it.

"Over the past 15 months, I have been harassed publicly on Facebook, privately thru Facebook messenger, and defamed through emails sent to residents and employees of Westford and Westford Public Schools," she said, noting that the harassment began in 2019, and continued throughout her campaign for a seat on the school committee and even after she lost.

"The entire ordeal has been [devastating] to me, my children, and my husband," Cioffi wrote in the Jan. 22 post. "I am looking forward to my day in court to present the rest of the evidence against Mr. Colson for the terrible acts against my family and me and look forward to the justice system handling it from there."

According to the criminal complaint, Colson was charged with criminal harassment and identity fraud. If convicted, each of the charges carries a penalty of two and a half years in prison and fees.

"I just don't want him to teach again, I don't want him to have access to kids again, I think he is a liability in a classroom,"Cioffi said Wednesday. She said she couldn't add much to her Facebook post given the ongoing case, but said she suspected he targeted her because he did not want her to win a seat on the school committee.

Then following the race, he continued to harass her when she challenged him about teachers going back to school.

Cioffi said the past year has been hard.

"It was just a lot. I just want it to be over," she said.