NORTHAMPTON — A 29-year-old Florence resident was sentenced to a year of probation after she attacked a teenage girl at Northampton High School in February.
Amanda Diaz pleaded guilty in Northampton District Court on Tuesday to charges of disturbing a public assembly and assault and battery in relation to an incident that caused a shelter-in-place at the school in February. As conditions of probation, Diaz must stay away from the high school and have no contact with the victim.
Diaz went with her brother and niece, an NHS student, to meet with school administrators on Feb. 11. As she waited for school staff near the front office, Diaz saw a 17-year-old girl who she believed had stolen her niece’s necklace, according to police.
“The [security camera] video does show Diaz chase [the girl] down the hallway of the high school and attack [her] from behind,” Detective Adam Van Buskirk wrote in a statement of facts. “After the initial attack, the video does show Diaz and [the student] involved in a physical altercation … this incident occurred in-between classes and there were a significant amount of students and teachers in the hallway.”
Northampton Police Officer Heather Longley, in her statement of facts, reported seeing Diaz exit the school with “blood all over her shirt and face.” Diaz’s brother, Longley wrote, was “yelling toward Diaz and escalating the situation.” Both Diaz and the teen suffered facial injuries from the fight that were not life-threatening.
