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Pinellas Middle School Principal Married To Missouri Gunman

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 9, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - The wife of the man who opened fire at a city council meeting in Kirkwood, Mo., is principal of a St. Petersburg middle school, local officials confirmed.

The gunman, Charles Lee Thornton, was killed by police after his rampage Thursday night in the suburb of St. Louis. Thornton was married to Maureen Thornton, 49, who is the principal of John Hopkins Middle School, said school spokeswoman Andrea Zahn.

Zahn said Maureen Thornton was not at school Friday. There was no one at her St. Petersburg home.

In January 2007, Charles Thornton's brother, Arthur, and Maureen Thornton borrowed $352,750 to buy a house at 701 Lake Maggiore Blvd S. in St. Petersburg, according to court records. Charles Thornton is not on the mortgage.

Neighbors say they seldom saw him, but describe the couple as quiet.

"He was a very friendly person," said Lynne Randall, who lives a block away.

The man she called "Cookie" had a distinctive way of saying goodbye after he chatted with neighbors.

"He would always say, 'Have a blessed day,'" Randall said. She added that she was having a difficult time imagining that the "neighbor who's so friendly" could commit a violent act.

The Thorntons defaulted on the St. Petersburg home loan by August 2007, and a mortgage company filed a foreclosure action in Pinellas County Circuit Court last month.

Maureen Thornton last month told a process server delivering a summons and copy of the suit that she was married to Charles Lee Thornton and that he lives in St. Louis.

Maureen Thornton started working as a teacher at John Hopkins in 2004, then as an assistant principal at Safety Harbor Middle School before being named principal of John Hopkins in 2005, personnel records show. Before joining the Pinellas County school system, she had 19 years of experience, eight of them in the community where her husband killed five people.

His telephone number is in her personnel file.

"Praise the Lord, you just reached Cookie's voice pager," the recorded message says. It concludes: "And remember. Have a fantastic day and I wish you much peace."

Reporter Ray Reyes contributed to this report. Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 451-2336 or spthompson @tampatrib.com.

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