Charges Dropped in Colson Case, Clearing Him of Any Wrongdoing

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Residents were stunned, this winter, to learn of the Middlesex District Attorney’s allegations that Westford Academy history teacher Michael Colson would be arraigned on charges of criminal harassment and identification fraud.

But the story has a twist. Three or four court appearances later in Ayer District Court, the accusations were dropped and Colson is free and clear, according to Case Specialist at Ayer District Court, Tina Ramos. His last court appearance took place in Ayer on April 15 during which the charges were dropped.

“The case is dismissed,” Ramos said. “Prosqui Nolle,” meaning the case will not be prosecuted and there are no remaining charges.

Colson remained on leave with pay from Westford Academy, while the matter was pending. It’s not clear if he will return to his teaching position. A group opposed to his return has started a petition on Facebook, seeking to permanently oust him from his high school job.

Colson faced accusations by resident Jannelle Cioffi, that he harassed her and others in town. His motivation or goal was not explained.

Cioffi was an unsuccessful 2020 School Committee candidate vying for one three-year term against a field of five others, including incumbent Gloria Miller and newcomer Valery Young.

Colson posted endorsements for the two — a powerful message because, at the time, he was president of the teachers union, officially named the Westford Education Association.

Cioffi worked closely with Westford detectives to construct a case against Colson, who was also accused of creating fake personas on social media pages. Among other things, Colson was accused of using the photograph of an existing Westford Academy student and interacting online as someone named Kate Lawson.

“At the initial hearing…Colson admitted to being “Kate Lawson,” “Dave Townie Weir” and four other aliases on Facebook,” Cioffi said. Cioffi said Colson told told the court his rationale for impersonating others was due to the fact that as president of the union he should not support one candidate over another. And, yet, Cioffi pointed out, Colson posted endorsements of Miller and Young on Facebook, as himself.

Though Colson beat the pending court charges, he has lost the sympathy of public opinion. Here is what one petitioner posted on Facebook.

“Mike Colson lacks a moral compass and is an embarrassment to the teaching community. Please remove him,” stated the petitioner.

Prior to the dismissal of charges, Colson’s attorney Lissa McKinney said her client was “entitled to the presumption of innocence unless or until a judge or jury has found him guilty.”

But Cioffi had a comeback.

“The D.A. dropping the charges did not clear him of wrongdoing,” she said.

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UPDATE — This story was extensively revised on April 22 to correct any errors and to include Jannelle Cioffi’s voice.