School employee turns herself in on larceny charge

SALISBURY — Lori A. Tompkins of Salisbury turned herself in to state police on Friday, Feb. 27, after a warrant for her arrest on charges of larceny, forgery and illegal use of a credit card was issued by the Superior Court in Bantam.

The State Police report claims that Tompkins embezzled $110,395.11 from the Board of Education and student activity accounts between March 2005 and November 2008.

Tompkins, a former employee of Salisbury Central School and clerk to the Salisbury Board of Education, resigned at the beginning of 2009. Principal Chris Butwill, Region One Superintendent Patricia Chamberlain and Salisbury Board of Education Chairman Roger Rawlings all declined to comment at the time.

Rawlings issued a statement on Friday, when Tompkins turned herself in to the police. The full text appears with this week’s letters to the editor of The Journal (see Page A12).

In the statement, he assured parents that the board will make sure no student activities are impacted by the loss of the funds and that the board is setting in place safeguards to help ensure that a similar situation can not occur again in the future. Efforts are now being made to recover the funds. Further details will be available once the court documents are released for public scrutiny.

Tompkins was released on a $10,000 bond; she is to appear in Bantam Superior Court on Monday, March 9, 10 a.m.

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