Meany Middle School cafeteria worker arrested after alleged threat

Meany Middle School went into shelter-in-place mode last month when a cafeteria worker allegedly threatened a coworker with a large kitchen knife.

The alleged assault occurred at 8:42 a.m. Nov. 21, about 13 minutes prior to the school’s start time.

Officers contacted the alleged victim near the school’s loading dock, where she reported having several disputes over a period of a week with her 66-year-old Meany Middle School coworker, according to a police report obtained by MPT through a public records request.

The alleged victim accused the suspect of pushing her several times while they were working in the kitchen, and that the suspect accused her of stealing her cellphone a week prior.

The cafeteria worker told officers she told her supervisor about the harassment, but “they have not properly handled it,” according to the police report.

She said on the day of the alleged threat that she was doing kitchen prep work when the suspect came up close behind her. The alleged victim said she looked back and saw the suspect holding the kitchen knife above her shoulder with the pointed edge perpendicular to the ground, according to the report. The suspect then made a “grunt” noise in her direction, the alleged victim said, which scared her enough to run out of the kitchen, then the school, and call 911.

Five days after the reported incident, the alleged victim filed a protection order against the suspect, adding that her coworker had been laughing and making growling sounds as she held the knife.

There were no independent witnesses to this alleged incident.

The alleged victim told officers she is “scared and terrified everyday,” according to the report.

Officers located the suspect in the kitchen, within reach of the 10-inch knife she allegedly threatened her coworker with, the report states. She reportedly told officers she was getting her things together for prep and that she believed someone had moved her things. The report states the suspect told officers the two had been in a verbal argument regarding work.

The suspect was arrested for investigation of felony harassment, and also later booked for investigation of violation of the Controlled Substance Act (VUCSA) after cocaine was allegedly found in her purse, according to the police report.

Meany Middle School principal Chanda E. Oatis described the incident in an email to parents as a dispute  between two staff in the cafeteria, and that the police responded while the school went into a “shelter in place.”

“We want to ensure that our students are safe and feel safe at school and families play an important role in these conversations,” Oatis wrote in her Nov. 21 email. “Although students were unaware of the staff dispute, because of the increased police presence, we wanted you to be aware of the situation.

“Please know that we take safety in our buildings very seriously; the well-being of our students is our top concern. The remainder of the day has been uneventful.”

As officers arrived at the school, an employee ushered children who had been outside Meany into the school to shelter in place, according to the report.

The alleged victim wrote in her request for a protection order that the suspect came to her residence on Nov. 16, and had threatened to kill her two days prior to the knife incident.

The suspect was suspended following the alleged incident, and her current employment status is unknown. MPT has reached out to Seattle Public Schools for more information.