Police Investigate Cash Theft

At Waste Transfer Station

By Andrew Gorosko

Police are investigating the alleged theft of an unspecified amount of cash from the town’s waste transfer station on Ethan Allen Road, focusing their attention on an unidentified municipal employee or employees thought to have stolen the money across a period of time.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said this week that police are actively investigating the matter, but added that it is yet unclear whether sufficient evidence would be uncovered to form the basis for an arrest or arrests in the case.

After discovering that something was amiss in the waste transfer station monetary accounts, the town conducted an internal investigation into the matter, Mr Rosenthal said. Based on that internal investigation, the town then called in police to further investigate the matter, Mr Rosenthal said.

Waste transfer station employees handle cash when issuing general waste disposal permits to residents, as well as when collecting fees for specific forms of waste dumping.

Asked about the scope of the alleged wrongdoing, Mr Rosenthal said that it involves “a small amount of money,” which is apparently in “the hundreds of dollars.”

“No amount of theft of public funds is appropriate,” the first selectman stressed.

In August 2004, a former municipal worker at the town Public Works Department pleaded guilty to first-degree larceny in Danbury Superior Court, acknowledging that she had embezzled almost $89,000 in cash and checks from the department’s waste disposal accounts.

The late Trisha Johnson, who was 23 years old when she pleaded guilty to the felony, acknowledged that she embezzled the money across a one-year period to support a drug addiction.

Ms Johnson, who town police had arrested in March 2004, was sentenced by a judge in September 2004 to a suspended eight-year prison term, five years of probation, up to five years of drug counseling, and making approximately $34,000 in restitution to the town.

Ms Johnson, 24, died January 18 in Southbury. State police are investigating her death.

Following the Johnson case, Mr Rosenthal said that the town would put financial safeguards in place to prevent such monetary theft by town workers in the future.

Mr Rosenthal said this week that such safeguards were instituted, but added that the specific nature of the matter now under investigated is different than what occurred in the Johnson case. The first selectman said that yet more safeguards may be needed as a precaution.

Such measures could involve the installation of surveillance cameras, or even the town’s not accepting cash in its transactions with the public, he said.

The first selectman added though, that eliminating cash in transactions would a “last resort.”

The first selectman said it is very difficult for any organization that handles cash to completely control how that cash is handled. If a person is determined to steal cash, it is difficult to guard against such theft, he said.

“The criminal investigation is ongoing. This is not any large-scale situation, “ he said.

In order to make arrests in the case, police would need to collect evidence and then seek arrest warrants. Obtaining warrants is time-consuming and requires approvals from a state prosecutor and a judge.

Public Works Director Fred Hurley also downplayed the significance of the monetary irregularities at the waste transfer station, “It was handled as a ‘personnel’ matter,” he said, adding that the problem “was not of huge magnitude.”

“You always have to be very vigilant,” Mr Hurley said.

The monetary discrepancies became known following a periodic review of revenue collection, he said.

Police Detective Sergeant Robert Tvardzik said his week, “We’re investigating it. We’re awaiting some additional paperwork. We’re progressing on it…We hope to submit a [warrant] application,” he said.

The police investigation is targeting “one or more people,” he said.