Mary Starkey Is Arrested. Again.

Mary Louise Starkey, head of the prominent Denver-based butler school Starkey International Institute of Household Management, was arrested yesterday for domestic violence. The incident is the latest in a string of recent embarrassments for Starkey, 59, the city’s so-called “First Lady of Service.” As reported in the Westword story “At...

By Joel Warner

May 14, 2008

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Mary Louise Starkey, head of the prominent Denver-based butler school Starkey International Institute of Household Management, was arrested yesterday for domestic violence. The incident is the latest in a string of recent embarrassments for Starkey, 59, the city’s so-called “First Lady of Service.” As reported in the Westword story “At Your Disservice,” several former students and staff of Starkey International came forward last year alleging mismanagement and turmoil at the school, and she is currently facing a felony assault charge in Denver District Court for purportedly attacking one of her pupils, Lisa Kirkpatrick, on February 7, 2007.

Starkey was picked up by the police yesterday at her listed residence on Williams Street after she supposedly attacked a man whose name was redacted from court documents but who is apparently her partner. According to the arrest report, the two have been living apart, with the noted victim living at the Williams address. After Starkey arrived at the apartment yesterday and found the man eating lunch, the two began arguing and Starkey demanded he leave. She allegedly punched the victim several times on the shoulder and “then scratched him on the right cheek causing a small laceration.”

Starkey was charged with assault and spent the night in Denver City Jail. At her arraignment today in Denver County Court, she posted a $3,000 bond, and she’ll be back on July 14 for an 8 a.m. jury trial. In the meantime, she’ll have to deal with the assault charge associated with her former student Kirkpatrick; she’s due in District Court for a disposition hearing on that matter on Tuesday, May 27, at 1:30 p.m. – Joel Warner

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Joel Warner is a former staff writer for Westword and International Business Times. He's also written for WIRED, Men's Journal, Men's Health, Bloomberg Businessweek, Popular Science, Slate, Grantland and many other publications. He's co-author of the 2014 book The Humor Code: A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny, published by Simon & Schuster.

Contact: Joel Warner