Cheryl Gates (Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office).
In North Carolina, a school therapist has been charged with attempted murder and stalking, accused of trying to poison an ex-partner she had been obsessively “tracking” and harassing, according to law enforcement officials.
Cheryl Gates, 43, was arrested last Friday for allegedly targeting her estranged husband, per an arrest warrant issued by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and obtained by Law&Crime.
Gates allegedly attempted to incapacitate her former spouse by contaminating food and drink, a felony offense, though the specific substance used remains unidentified. Local ABC affiliate WSOC confirms that the pair are separated.
Gate’s arrest warrant outlines what led to her stalking charge.
The warrant accuses Gates of illegally and persistently harassing her husband by attaching a tracking device to his vehicle. It states that she knew or should have known that such behavior would instill fear for personal safety in a reasonable person.
The charges were made public in a press release, naming Gates as an employee of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) district. Reports by WSOC and other local media identify her as a pediatric therapist.
The release noted that on Friday, October 10, officers from CMPD’s Domestic Violence Unit apprehended Gates. The incident reportedly took place off school premises and did not involve any student, staff member, or school property.
In total, Gates is facing four charges: attempted murder, contaminating food and drink to render one mentally incapacitated or physically helpless, stalking, and property damage. Gates is accused of breaking a window that police describe as “the property” of her ex, according to court documents. It’s unclear if she’s still a school employee.
“It’s definitely surprising that somebody in that capacity that is there to help others would do something, that type of crime, especially,” parent Quemella Holland, whose child is in the CMS system, told WSOC.
Gates was initially booked on the stalking and property damage charges last Tuesday before being released and arrested again on Friday for attempted murder. She was still in jail Sunday and CMPD officials say the investigation is active and ongoing.
