MANCHESTER, NH — A former Manchester elementary school principal was arrested Feb. 1, charged with making a false claim to police that she was burglarized and attacked.
On January 23, 2019 Manchester Police officers responded to a burglary call at the residence of Sarah Lynch, 39, of Manchester. Lynch reported to the officers that a male subject broke into her North Adams Street home around 11:20 a.m. and assaulted her before fleeing after a brief struggle inside her residence.
Upon receiving the call of the burglary from Lynch, officers and detectives flooded the area in an attempt to locate the alleged suspect, who was described in detail by Lynch. Once Lynch filed her report of the burglary, several detectives began working on the case, to include conducting interviews, canvases and processing the scene of the alleged crime. Manchester patrol officers and detectives spent countless hours investigating the circumstances surrounding the alleged burglary and attack on Lynch.
Detectives working the case found probable cause that Lynch fabricated the burglary and the assault that she reported on January 23. Due to fabricating the entire incident, Lynch was ultimately charged with falsifying physical evidence and creating a false report to law enforcement.
She was arrested at a relative’s home in Hampstead by the Hampstead Police Department at approximately 3 p.m. Friday, and later transported to the Manchester Police Department. She is scheduled to appear in Hillsborough County Superior Court-North on Monday February 4, 2019.
Following news of the arrest, Mayor Joyce Craig issued the following statement:
“The Manchester Police Department takes every report seriously and works hard to ensure the safety of residents and visitors across our city. I thank them for their dedication and diligent work. I understand the alarm this unfounded claim has had on this neighborhood and our community. I hope residents can now breathe easier knowing this report is unfounded.”
Lynch was fired from her job as Principal of Webster Elementary school in September. In Dec. she filed a lawsuit against the school district, claiming she was fired unjustly for being a “whistle-blower” about inadequacies at the school.
