ZACHARY — A woman accused of threatening Zachary Mayor David McDavid in 2024 was arrested after she was detained in Biloxi, Mississippi, police said Tuesday. 

According to arrest documents from Zachary Police, Patty Haley, 62, allegedly made life-threatening calls to McDavid several times in May and September 2024. The woman had previously pleaded guilty to threatening an Arizona federal judge more than a decade ago, court records show.

After the more-recent threats, more than a year went by before Haley was arrested in Biloxi. Zachary Police then transported her from Mississippi to Louisiana, where she was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison last Saturday.

She faces charges of improper telephone communications and threatening a public official. 

The Arizona charges were resolved in 2015, when she agreed to plead guilty to threatening to kill a federal judge. Prosecutors recommended that she serve three years of supervised release after being sentenced to time served. 

"The parties stipulate the defendant suffered diminished mental capacity at the time of the offense," her plea agreement says. She said she was upset with how a lawsuit of hers was progressing in the court system. Court records say that after an investigator visited her, she engaged in a brief standoff with police who later recovered a handgun and machete from her Phoenix home.

A year after pleading guilty, Haley's probation supervision was transferred to the Baton Rouge federal court.

McDavid put out a statement saying he was informed by the Zachary Police Department that he was receiving life-threatening calls, saying "in today’s climate, incidents like this must be taken seriously to ensure the safety of everyone involved."

"I appreciate the professionalism and diligence of the Zachary Police Department in handling this matter," McDavid said. "My hope is that the individual involved receives the help she needs during this difficult time. I will continue to pray for her and her family.”