Case of Stolen Student Lunch Money In Vernon Headed For Plea

VERNON, CT — The case of a former food services director for the Vernon public school system accuzsed of stealing lunch money via a re-directed cafeteria deposit bag seems headed for a plea, judicial system records show.

A clerk at Rockville Superior Court on Monday said the file on 54-year-old Paul Olsen was statutorily sealed, which arguably points to a plea deal being negotiated. He appeared in court earlier this month.

Records classify the case status as "Awaiting Plea/ Referred to Adult Probation." When asked what the plea might be, Vernon Town Administrator Michael Purcaro politely declined to comment, citing an ongoing legal matter.

He did quickly add, that "town officials are closely monitoring the progress of the case."

In late February, Olson surrendered to Vernon police after learning of a warrant for his arrest. The case dates back to May 2018, when Vernon police were notified by school system and municipal officials about "a possible embezzlement from the food service funds," a warrant states. A Vernon detective then conducted an investigation over several months that culminated in Olson's arrest.

Olson is suspected of stealing a cash deposit bag containing school cafeteria revenue totaling $648, while in his role as the food services director for the Vernon school system, according to a warrant.

According to a warrant, Olson was designated to receive cash deposits from each of the seven school cafeterias in a locked bag. He would then process the cash and checks and prepare them for a bank deposit, according to a warrant. A courier transported the money from the schools to Olson and then to the bank for deposit, police said.

According to a warrant, during one of the transactions, the courier noticed that a single deposit bag was missing. Olson told the courier that he had directly deposited the funds from that bag to the bank, a warrant states.

That violated internal financial controls and internal policies, police said.

The courier immediately alerted a municipal staff member, who then reported the irregularity to administrators, a warrant states. It was then determined that the discrepancy was likely a theft, according to a warrant.

Vernon detectives conducted a joint investigation with school administrators and the finance department and it appeared Olson forged the signature of the courier on a log documenting the deposit bag in question, according to a warrant.

Olson is accused of giving a false statement about the $648 to detectives investigating the theft, according to the warrant. He at first denied having any involvement in taking the money, according to as warrant. The signature on the log entry was "drastically different" than the others for that day — May 22, according to a warrant.

The money breakdown, according to a warrant, was:

• $178 in one-dollar bills
• $120 in five-dollar bills
• $50 in 10-dollar bills
• $300 in 20-dollar bills

Olson was charged with:

• Second-degree larceny
• Giving a false statement
• Criminal impersonation
• Third-degree identity theft
• Second-degree forgery

Olsen has a history of "previous bankruptcies, civil lawsuits ands federal tax liens," with the most recent action being in 2012, according to a warrant. They date back to a civil suit brought against him by Macy's in 1990, according to a warrant.

Olsen refused to take a polygraph test and, in one instance, scheduled a test but canceled the appointment with police at the last minute, according to a warrant.

He had posted a $10,000 surety bond in the case, records show.

Police spokesman Lt. William Meier said that a series of internal controls "worked" in the case and added, "If you steal from the town, there's zero tolerance and you're going to be arrested."

"The Vernon Public Schools has high standards of professionalism for all staff members. The Board of Education and Town of Vernon Finance Offices have multiple levels of checks and balances when dealing with monetary transactions," Superintendent of Schools Joseph Macary said at the time of the arrest. "The matter was immediately reviewed and referred to the Vernon Police Department for investigation."

Olsen has not worked for the Vernon school system since August, he said.

The Vernon Public School system "is committed to high expectations of accountability for all staff members," Macary said.

Olsen is due back in court on May 29, according to judicial system records.