NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Samuel McVey, the former New Rochelle teacher extradited from Louisiana this week, was arraigned Friday in New Rochelle City Court and ordered held on $100,000 cash bail, court records show.
McVey, 47, of Briarcliff Manor, appeared before Judge Michelle Bernstein on May 8, 2026, pleaded not guilty, and was remanded to the Westchester County Department of Correction in Valhalla.
Bail was set at $100,000 cash, $200,000 insured bond, or $300,000 partially secured surety bond. A temporary order of protection was issued.
McVey was a probationary Spanish teacher at Isaac E. Young Middle School until January 2026, when Superintendent Corey W. Reynolds notified him of his intent to recommend termination to the Board of Education. In early February, according to court records, McVey sent emails to a school official stating he was “coming to the building with guns” and that “we have a bullet for Corey’s head.” An arrest warrant was issued February 9, but McVey was not located until March 17, when he was taken into custody at his parents’ home and arraigned in New Rochelle City Court on a misdemeanor charge of aggravated harassment. He was released on non-monetary conditions, including an order to surrender his passport, which he did not comply with.
McVey subsequently traveled to Colombia. While in the Medellín area, his behavior at local schools drew complaints from parents and staff, prompting alerts on social media and WhatsApp. Colombian National Police took him into protective custody at José María Córdova International Airport in Rionegro on April 8, and he was escorted onto a flight to Miami. U.S. Customs and Border Protection detained him upon arrival but released him because the outstanding warrant at that point was based on a misdemeanor charge, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Prosecutors subsequently upgraded the charges to include Criminal Contempt in the First Degree, a felony carrying a fully extraditable nationwide warrant. Baton Rouge Police arrested McVey on May 7, and he was transported back to New York through the joint efforts of the New Rochelle Police Department and the Westchester County Police Warrant/Fugitive Unit.
McVey faces the following charges:
• Criminal Contempt in the First Degree (2 counts) — E Felony (PL §215.51)
• Criminal Contempt in the Second Degree (5 counts) — A Misdemeanor (PL §215.50)
• Aggravated Harassment in the Second Degree (5 counts) — A Misdemeanor (PL §240.30)
• Bail Jumping in the Third Degree (1 count) — A Misdemeanor (PL §215.55)
McVey’s is due back in New Rochelle City Court on June 2, 2026 at 9:30 AM.
This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.
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