Schools

Updated: Somers High School Teacher Charged With Assault, Extortion

Heather M. Sharp is accused of allegedly being involved in several domestic violence incidents with her former partner, according to police.

A 30-year-old teacher and coach at Somers High School has been arrested and charged with repeatedly assaulting her former partner and taking $20,000 from the woman, according to court documents.

Heather M. Sharp, of Ridgewood Road, turned herself into police on Wednesday. She is charged with first-degree larceny by extortion, disorderly conduct and two counts of third-degree assault, according to court documents. During a court appearance on Wednesday, Sharp was released on promise to appear again in Superior Court in Rockville on April 20, according to court documents.

Judge Edward J. Mullarkey also issued a protective order prohibiting Sharp from having any contact with her former girlfriend, including not coming within 100 feet of the woman, and required Sharp to obey a restraining order filed by the woman against Sharp in December, according to court documents.

Find out what's happening in Ellington-Somerswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

When reached Thursday evening, Sharp said she has been advised by her attorney not to comment. Her attorney, Thomas O’Grady of Somers, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Sharp has been put on indefinite paid leave from her teaching and coaching positions at Somers High School, Principal Gary Cotzin said Friday morning. She has been a teacher at the school since 2002 and coach of the softball team for at least five years. 

Find out what's happening in Ellington-Somerswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to Sharp’s arrest affidavit, the women had been dating since 2006 and living together in Stafford since August 2007. The relationship was tumultuous and in June 2010 they began talking about separating, eventually ending their relationship in October, according to the affidavit.

At that time the 47-year-old woman asked Sharp to move out, according to the affidavit. Sharp refused, saying that she needed money to be able to buy a house of her own, according to the affidavit.

In early November, after a verbal argument outside a Massachusetts restaurant, Sharp said she would not leave unless the woman gave her $50,000, according to the affidavit. On Nov. 22, the women argued again and this time Sharp allegedly punched the woman in the stomach while outside an Enfield restaurant, according to the affidavit.

The physical altercation continued at the Stafford woman’s home, where Sharp allegedly slapped and punched the woman. The woman told police that Sharp also pushed her down some stairs and into the front door, according to the arrest affidavit. The woman was able to get to the kitchen to use the phone to call her brother, but Sharp took the phone and threw it across the room, according to the affidavit.

During the altercation, Sharp repeatedly said she would not move out until the woman gave her $20,000 and that she was going to take $10,000 from their joint account, according to the affidavit.

The woman told police that she was “sick of the abuse” and that while under duress she wrote a check to Sharp, which Sharp cashed the next day, according to court documents.

The woman did not report the incident to police until Dec. 3 when she met an attorney and family member who encouraged her to call the Stafford Resident State Trooper’s office. According to the affidavit, the woman told police she did not report the abuse immediately because she feared retaliation against her children who attend Somers schools, where Sharp is a math teacher and softball coach, according to the school district’s and a high school athletics Web sites.  

On Dec. 7, the same day the woman obtained a restraining order against Sharp, Sharp called the woman to apologize for her actions, according to the arrest affidavit.

In December, Sharp told police that the woman had also assaulted her during the altercation in November, according to the affidavit.  Attorney O’Grady said that a “cat fight” did occur and that Sharp had needed medical attention because of it, according to the affidavit. The woman has not been charged.  


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here