Connecticut
PTO president in CT charged with stealing over $20,000 in school funds
The former president of a parent-teacher organization in Somers turned herself in on a warrant Tuesday and is facing larceny charges for allegedly stealing over $20,000 from school funds, according to the Connecticut State Police.
Marissa L. Marks, 41, of Somers, was charged with first-degree larceny for allegedly taking $20,850.90 in PTO funds plus $1,424.82 in restitution due to bank overdraft fees charged to the PTO’s account, state police said.
According to a warrant affidavit for Marks’ arrest, she was elected president of the PTO in Somers in May 2019 and during her time in that role was the only person who had access to a single debit card linked to the PTO’s bank account, the affidavit said.
The card was in Marks’ possession from June 2020 until it was closed in July 2022, according to the affidavit.
During that time, suspected unauthorized transactions on the card totaled $12,186 plus banking fees. The unauthorized charges provided in the affivadit included cash withdrawals from the bank checking and money market accounts totaling $1,200, as well as the following charges: Amazon $2,393.88, Square Art $442.75, Yankee Candle $179.40, Sue’s Shirts $500, Matt Wilhelm $475, MBA activity fund $300, OTC brands $227.80, USPS $73.39, DG Graphics $87.21, Scholastic Education $38.24, Staples $140.33, 5 Below $202.57, Target $975.88, Kohl’s $49.45, Dollar Tree $14.99, Michaels $107.18, Stop & Shop $557.71, Geissler’s $362.42, Yard Card $195, Barnes and Noble $197.46, Shell $20, Cosco $1,825.46, Home Depot $82.69, Walgreens $22.82, Hot Table $28.08, Growth Company $132.94, Taylor Rental $167.63, Joanne’s $40.69, Party City $50.17, Dunkin’ Donuts $127.76, Big Y $41.62, Suffield Vet $444.85, Red Robin $48.24, Rick the Barber $25, Stop & Shop Fuel $20.02, Kim’s Nails $50.41, McDonald’s $18.50, Petco $19.11, Randall Farm $91.59 and U.S. Treasury $160.46.
Last June, members of the PTO received a letter from the bank stating that the checking account was overdrawn in the amount of $1,346, the affidavit said.
In November 2021, the PTO held a Scholastic Book Fair and all money from the fair was given to Marks to deposit. That December, Scholastic reported that its balance had not been paid, according to the affidavit.
Members of the PTO reportedly tried for months to resolve the issue, asking Marks to provide proof of deposits and payments made to Scholastic, the affidavit said. Payments made by check had been deposited but $8,514 in cash deposits were reportedly missing, the affidavit said.
On multiple Zoom calls, PTO members asked Marks where the missing money from the book fair missing was, the affidavit said. In Oct. 2022, Marks reportedly said on a Zoom call she found the missing $8,514 in cash in her kitchen closet at her house and delivered it to the elementary school, police said.
During a conference call to discuss misuse of PTO funds Marks allegedly told other members “that she used the debit card for personal funds and that she was sorry,” according to the affidavit.
She offered to step down as president and was told by other members “that her three years as PTO president was up and it would be best if she did not run again,” the affidavit said.
Students at Somers elementary and middle schools missed out on all PTO-sponsored events from September 2020 to June 2022 due to a lack of funding, according to the affidavit.
On March 22, members of the Somers PTO went to state police to report a misuse of PTO funds after trying for months to resolve the matter with Marks, police said.
Marks turned herself in to Troop C in Tolland. She was released on a $10,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court in Rockville on June 14, according to state police.
Connecticut
Opinion: The CT citizens locked out at the ballot box
As voters across Connecticut were casting ballots in this year’s presidential election, over 5,400 residents were being denied the right to vote because of Connecticut’s felony disenfranchisement law, which precludes those currently serving sentences for felonies from casting a ballot.
This practice perpetuates racial and economic injustice, and it undermines the central tenet of participatory democracy: that every citizen have a say over the laws that govern them. To ensure the equal and just treatment of its citizenry, Connecticut should end this practice.
In fact, Connecticut has a chance to become a national leader by ending felony disenfranchisement. Too often throughout history, the state has been among the last to dismantle policies that suppress the political power of communities of color. In 1818, Connecticut limited voting to white people, a restriction it did not repeal until 1876 —six years after the 15th Amendment prohibited racial discrimination in voting. By contrast, every other state in New England enfranchised Black residents before the Civil War.
In 1855, Connecticut was the first state to adopt a literacy test to restrict voting rights, a tactic that would become widely adopted in the Jim Crow South to systematically disenfranchise Black voters. Over a century later, when the Voting Rights Act finally banned the practice nationwide, Connecticut was one of the few states where this policy was still in effect.
Connecticut’s existing felony disenfranchisement policy continues to perpetuate the state’s legacy of suppressing the political power of minority communities. Black and Hispanic residents are incarcerated in Connecticut at nearly 10 and four times the rate of white residents, respectively. This over-representation is no coincidence: racial bias and discrimination are pervasive in the criminal legal system, leading to racially disparate outcomes in sentencing and convictions.
The impact of disenfranchisement also extends far beyond the individuals who have been stripped of their right to vote. Without a voice at the ballot box, incarcerated people are unable to cast votes in the interest of their neighborhoods, their children and families.
The effects ripple across communities —and because Connecticut remains one of the most segregated states in the country, the harm is concentrated in areas already grappling with the impacts of systemic discrimination. These are communities that face chronically underfunded schools, limited access to essential resources like grocery stores, childcare, and healthcare services, and more. By stripping those with felony convictions of their right to vote, Connecticut dilutes the political power of communities that most need to be heard.
In 2021, Connecticut took a meaningful step forward by restoring the vote to individuals on parole —but the state should do more. Connecticut should join Vermont, Maine, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico in granting universal suffrage regardless of incarceration status. It is the right thing to do as a matter of racial and economic justice.
It is also sound, pragmatic policy that promotes safe communities: studies show that voting strengthens ties between individuals and their communities and reduces recidivism among those reintegrating post-incarceration. Finally, universal suffrage would augment the political power of minority groups that have too often been marginalized in our political conversations.
Connecticut has an opportunity —and a responsibility— to advance racial and economic justice, strengthen its democracy, and promote safer communities by ensuring that every citizen, regardless of conviction status, has the right to vote.
Arianna Khan, Ethan Seidenberg, and Lauren Taylor are students in the Civil Rights Advocacy Clinic at Yale Law School.
Connecticut
Woman and 4-month-old boy killed in Hartford shooting
Connecticut
Smoke from MA fire noticed from Southington to New Haven
GREAT BARRINGTON, MA (WFSB) – Smoke from a large fire in Massachusetts wafted into Connecticut.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said on Tuesday morning that smoke from the fire in Great Barrington traveled south into the state.
“Many residents from Southington to New Haven and beyond may be noticing a strong smell of smoke and haze [Tuesday] morning,” DEEP said.
DEEP said that Tuesday’s weather conditions caused smoke to spread widely and stay close to the ground. That’s what made it more noticeable.
“Local officials are monitoring the situation,” it said. “If you’re sensitive to smoke, consider staying indoors and keeping windows closed until conditions improve.”
More on the forecast can be read in the technical discussion from Channel 3’s meteorologists here.
Copyright 2024 WFSB. All rights reserved.
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