WILMINGTON, N.C. – A North Carolina school employee could lose her job after she allegedly made racially laced threats to a neighbor and threw a weedwacker at the woman.

Wanda Leggett

Wanda Leggett, 49, was suspended with pay from her position at Ashley High School after she was arrested Sept. 6 for allegedly communicating a threat and simple assault against her neighbor Lana Allen, StarNewsOnline reports.

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The misdemeanor charges stem from allegations that Leggett told Allen she would “beat her black ass” before throwing a weed eater in her direction, according to an arrest warrant filed by Allen and cited by Star News.

Leggett was hired by New Hanover County schools as an interim special education teacher at Sunset Park Elementary in February, then was hired in permanently as a special education teacher at Ashley High School in August, WECT reports.

She previously worked at Brunswick and Pender county schools, according to the news site.

Allen and Leggett are related by marriage, though Allen is actually Native American, not black.

Neighbors told WECT that Leggett is a really good neighbor, and wasn’t at fault in the altercation, which they witnessed first-hand.

“Don’t get the wrong impression, come over and meet her. When my wife had her foot operated on, my knees were bad, she was over here with food for us,” Bob Wilson told the news site.

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WECT attempted to contact Leggett, but she hung up on them.

School officials said Leggett will be on paid administrative leave until her case is sorted out.

Many commenters on the WECT site believe the news station is racially sensationalizing an unimportant neighborly dispute.

“I’ve known this woman my whole life. Such a nice lady. Probably just a dispute that got out of hand with both parties,” wrote Megan Cruse. “Not newsworthy.”

“In our society today everything you do or say you lose your job over it. We all make mistakes and I have not read anywhere that a child was involved,” Geannie Hewett posed.

“No one knows what was said to push her to say this and nothing leads me to believe she would not work well with children. Stop making a mount out of mole hills. Shame on you WECT.”

“You wonder why she hung up on you, you made her seem like a racist to our entire community,” Chris Sutton posted.

“I have known this woman for years. She has been a teacher in 3 counties and has touched the lives of many students, parents, and friends … This is an atrocity,” January Wells wrote.

“Sounds like a desperate news story blown out of proportion. Sad times WECT,” Lyle Scott added.