A statewide grand jury has charged former Coventry Town Council member Scott Copley with threatening a public official, according to the office of Attorney General Peter Neronha.
How did we get here? Town Council President Hillary V. Lima filed a complaint against Copley in April, alleging that he made threats of sexual violence that were directed at her.
Copley, 50, has denied the allegations. He resigned from the council the day before the complaint was filed, amid a bitter feud that began with a dispute over legal invoices.
Former Coventry Town Council member Scott R. Copley.
What led to the charges?
According to a police report obtained by the Warwick Post, Copley called the council’s vice president, John-Paul A. Verducci, on March 21 because he was upset that an item he requested was not on the council’s agenda. He allegedly blamed Lima and told Verducci that he was “going to go to Hillary’s house and skull [expletive] her.”
Verducci alerted Town Solicitor Stephen Angell, who reported the alleged threat to the Coventry Police.
Copley, via his lawyer, told police that he used the graphic sexual language to describe what was happening to the town. He denied saying that he planned to go to Lima’s house, or commit sexual violence against her.
Verducci subsequently told police that he wasn’t entirely sure if Copley had said that he planned to go to Lima’s house, but that Copley did threaten sexual violence.
Copley is scheduled to be arraigned on July 25, 2025, in Kent County Superior Court, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Ex-Coventry, RI Town Council member charged with threatening a public official